In Monday’s press briefing, coming after a weekend in which Moscow increased its military footprint in Syria seemingly exponentially, White House press secretary Josh Earnest declared that the administration had come no closer to deciphering Moscow’s motives for its stepped-up presence in the area.Keep reading.
The truth is Russia’s motives are not that hard to divine.
The most proximate reason is the fact that Bashar al-Assad, Syria’s embattled, murderous leader, has been losing territory at a rapid pace. In July, he made a rare announcement admitting losses and blaming them on a shortage of manpower. “We are not collapsing,” he said, which is not something regimes that are not collapsing often have to proclaim publicly. Allowing Assad to continue on the same losing trajectory is anathema to Moscow. “Bashar al-Assad is losing; he’s losing one town after another,” said Georgy Mirsky, a vintage Russian Arabist who teaches Middle Eastern conflicts at Moscow’s Higher School of Economics. “If you don’t help Assad, he’ll lose and then the whole world will say Putin lost.” Putin placed his bet on Assad four years ago, Mirsky said, and he hasn’t wavered since. Now he has become a prisoner to that bet and to a certain honor-bound logic. “If you make a bet on a horse and the horse comes in last, then how does it look?” Mirsky explained. “It looks like you don’t understand anything. You will be seen as a loser.”
Russia has always supported Assad, but that support now seems to be inadequate to stanch the bleeding. To avoid looking like a loser who bet on the wrong horse — which, incidentally, Putin has done a lot of in the Middle East — Putin simply has to put more on the scale to maintain the same equilibrium.
Why prop up Assad? Some commentators have pointed to what they see as a burgeoning Russian influence in the region, but many in Moscow see it differently. This talk is “slightly exaggerated,” said Fyodor Lukyanov, editor of Russia in Global Affairs, who is no Kremlin critic. “Russia doesn’t have many opportunities in the region, and Syria is a unique case.” Russia, he said, is simply stepping into the void left behind by American waffling and a lack of clarity in its Syria policy. “The growth of Russian influence is directly proportional to the decline of American influence in the region,” Lukyanov explained. “The United States lost its mission so maybe the other regional powers see Russia as bad and unpleasant, but they also see that it acts clearly and consistently.” And yet, Lukyanov said, Russia’s expanded horizon for action in the region “is all thanks to Syria. It all starts and ends in Syria.”
Other, more hard-line voices in Moscow are gloating over this role reversal, however exaggerated or mild...
Sunday, September 27, 2015
Russia's Game Plan in Syria Is Simple
From Julia Ioffe, at Foreign Policy, "Stick it to the Americans":
Video Shows Vicious Attack on 83-Year-Old Man in Santa Ana
Obama's America.
From Preston Phillips, at ABC News 10 San Diego, "Please RETWEET this video. Santa Ana, #California PD need help finding person who beat up elderly man on walk Friday."
(Also, "Video of Random Attack on 83 Year Old Man in a Parking Lot.")
Actually, the suspect has been apprehended. At the Los Angeles Times, "Suspect arrested for attack on 83-year-old man in Santa Ana."
From Preston Phillips, at ABC News 10 San Diego, "Please RETWEET this video. Santa Ana, #California PD need help finding person who beat up elderly man on walk Friday."
(Also, "Video of Random Attack on 83 Year Old Man in a Parking Lot.")
Actually, the suspect has been apprehended. At the Los Angeles Times, "Suspect arrested for attack on 83-year-old man in Santa Ana."
'We must abandon almost everything we thought we knew about the goods of progress, happiness and growth...'
I'm reading Adbusters, just as a lesson and reminder of who the enemy is.
Frankly, they're everywhere. The leftist culture has metastasized. It's seeped into the unconscious of the up and coming generations, to the point that young people and their unreconstructed '60s rejects are actively opposed to the preservation of society and culture. And I mean preservation of the society and culture that has generated the highest levels of freedom and prosperity the world has ever known. The radical left of today's cultural Marxist social justice warriors, Democrat pajama boys, and the boot-licking enablers in the Obama-loving media will not stop until the "fundamental transformation" promised five days before election '08 has been achieved.
As you hear every four years, this next presidential election is the most important ever, the most important in our country's history. Just think how much better off we'd be had Barack Obama lost reelection in 2012. It's going to take decades to reverse the damage, which is why stopping the Democrat collectivists in 2016 has become a truly existential proposition.
From Kalle Lasn, publisher and editor of Adbusters, "Thought Control":
Frankly, they're everywhere. The leftist culture has metastasized. It's seeped into the unconscious of the up and coming generations, to the point that young people and their unreconstructed '60s rejects are actively opposed to the preservation of society and culture. And I mean preservation of the society and culture that has generated the highest levels of freedom and prosperity the world has ever known. The radical left of today's cultural Marxist social justice warriors, Democrat pajama boys, and the boot-licking enablers in the Obama-loving media will not stop until the "fundamental transformation" promised five days before election '08 has been achieved.
As you hear every four years, this next presidential election is the most important ever, the most important in our country's history. Just think how much better off we'd be had Barack Obama lost reelection in 2012. It's going to take decades to reverse the damage, which is why stopping the Democrat collectivists in 2016 has become a truly existential proposition.
From Kalle Lasn, publisher and editor of Adbusters, "Thought Control":
Unbridled neocon capitalism has been riding the back of humankind without opposition for nearly two generations now. It has provided no answer yet and it has no answer for the most pressing threat of the future, namely climate change. We economics students and heterodox economists must rise up in universities everywhere and demand a shift in the theoretical foundations of economic science. We must abandon almost everything we thought we knew about the goods of progress, happiness and growth. We have to re-imagine industry, nutrition, communication, transportation, housing and money and pioneer a new kind of economics, a bionomics, a psychonomics, an ecological economics that is up to the job of managing our planetary household.
— From Meme Wars: The Creative Destruction of Neoclassical Economics.
'Go Vegan' Animal Rights Protest March in Hollywood (VIDEO)
At CBS News 2 Los Angeles:
And check the "#GoVegan" hashtag on Twitter. It's a very short step from these "activists" to animal liberation terrorists (who show no hesitation to taking human life in the name of "animal rights").
And check the "#GoVegan" hashtag on Twitter. It's a very short step from these "activists" to animal liberation terrorists (who show no hesitation to taking human life in the name of "animal rights").
Saturday, September 26, 2015
Closer Huston Street Injured in Angels Spectacular Walk-Off Win Against Mariners at Anaheim Stadium
What a game, seriously.
And as with any spectacular drama, it had extreme highs and lows.
Mike Trout's historic catch, robbing the Mariners' Jesus Montero of a home run in the fourth inning, was simply unbelievable.
But closer Huston Street was hurt bad the ninth inning. Thank goodness David Freese came up and smacked a walk-off home run on the first swing in the bottom of the inning, better for the team to go tend to Street and rest after holding their spot 1/2 game out of a wildcard berth.
At the Los Angeles Times, "Huston Street's injury is a grim note in Angels' dramatic win":
And as with any spectacular drama, it had extreme highs and lows.
Mike Trout's historic catch, robbing the Mariners' Jesus Montero of a home run in the fourth inning, was simply unbelievable.
But closer Huston Street was hurt bad the ninth inning. Thank goodness David Freese came up and smacked a walk-off home run on the first swing in the bottom of the inning, better for the team to go tend to Street and rest after holding their spot 1/2 game out of a wildcard berth.
At the Los Angeles Times, "Huston Street's injury is a grim note in Angels' dramatic win":
Mike Trout is not easily impressed with himself. Saturday night, he could not help himself. When he returned to Earth, he mouthed several words, including this one: Wow.Keep reading.
Trout made one of the most spectacular catches of this or any other year, pushing himself several feet above the outfield wall to electrify Angel Stadium and rejuvenate the home team.
The catch might live forever on “SportsCenter.” On this night, however, the catch was not the most important development for the Angels, or the decisive play.
In the top of the ninth inning, they lost closer Huston Street to injury. In the bottom of the ninth, David Freese hit a walk-off home run, lifting the Angels to an emotional 3-2 victory over the Seattle Mariners.
The Angels remained one-half game behind the Houston Astros for the final spot in the American League wild-card race. The Angels have eight games left.
It appears unlikely that Street could pitch in any of those games. Manager Mike Scioscia said Street has a groin injury that is “not good.” Scioscia did not put a timetable on a recovery, but Street sat out 13 days because of a groin injury in July.
Joe Smith, the setup man, normally would replace Street as closer. Smith is out with a sprained ankle, and the Angels are uncertain whether he can return before the regular season ends.
However, in the wake of Street's injury, Smith said he might try to throw off a mound Sunday and accelerate his return.
Street, scurrying to back up a base on a routine ground ball, got off the mound cleanly, then took an awkward step and collapsed. He got up and tried to walk off the field on his own but had to be helped back to the dugout. That could leave rookie Trevor Gott as the closer, although Scioscia said he would try a committee approach.
If not for Trout's catch, the Angels would have been staring at a four-run deficit and Felix Hernandez on the mound. But Trout's wondrous feat kept the deficit at one run — and, two innings later, C.J. Cron tied the score with a home run.
Freese, a World Series hero for the St. Louis Cardinals, won the game in the ninth with the first walk-off home run of his career — regular season, that is.
The outlook did not look promising for the home team before Trout donned his cape.
'I don't trust the UN on free speech issues. You shouldn't either...'
At Popehat, "A Few Comments on the UN Broadband Commission's 'Cyber Violence Against Women and Girls' Report":
Hat Tip: Instapundit.
BONUS: See Time, FWIW, "U.N. Says Cyber Violence Is Equivalent to Physical Violence Against Women."
I don't trust the UN on free speech issues. You shouldn't either. In a world where Iran wins a seat on the UN's Commission on the Status of Women, people who care about women's rights should also be skeptical. Pro-censorship forces continually pressure the UN for international laws and norms restricting speech — for instance by demanding laws outlawing blasphemy. Allow me some unabashed American exceptionalism: that's a bad thing. The United States' vigorous approach to protecting free speech and rejecting blasphemy laws is good, and foreign norms that encourage blasphemy laws often used to persecute religious and ethnic minorities are bad.Read it all at that top link, and note the update.
Hat Tip: Instapundit.
BONUS: See Time, FWIW, "U.N. Says Cyber Violence Is Equivalent to Physical Violence Against Women."
Birthday Reading: The War That Forged a Nation
My mom's visiting for my birthday weekend. We're going out to dinner at Ruby's a little later.
Meanwhile, mom gave me a copy of James McPherson's, The War That Forged a Nation: Why the Civil War Still Matters. I've already read a couple of chapters. It's great!
Meanwhile, mom gave me a copy of James McPherson's, The War That Forged a Nation: Why the Civil War Still Matters. I've already read a couple of chapters. It's great!
Happy Birthday Bryan Ferry!
He's a great guy. Saw him way back in '79, at my first "gig."
At the Mirror U.K., "Bryan Ferry turns 70 today."
And previously, from January, "Bryan Ferry: 'Let's Stick Together'."
At the Mirror U.K., "Bryan Ferry turns 70 today."
And previously, from January, "Bryan Ferry: 'Let's Stick Together'."
Favorites in Military History
At Amazon, Military History.
Recommended, Alex Kershaw, The Liberator: One World War II Soldier's 500-Day Odyssey from the Beaches of Sicily to the Gates of Dachau.
Recommended, Alex Kershaw, The Liberator: One World War II Soldier's 500-Day Odyssey from the Beaches of Sicily to the Gates of Dachau.
Communities Struggle to Care for Elderly, Alone at Home
The other "Home Alone."
At the Wall Street Journal, "More people age at home, raising demand for support services":
Keep reading.
At the Wall Street Journal, "More people age at home, raising demand for support services":
STOCKHOLM, Maine—At least three times a night during much of the long, harsh northern winter, Aldea Campbell gets out of bed, steps into her slippers, and descends a flight of frighteningly steep, narrow wooden stairs to the cellar to fill her wood-burning stove. She’s 82, a widow, and has lived in her 102-year-old house near the Canadian border for almost six decades.
She burns wood because she can’t afford enough oil to get through the cold months. When her arthritis is bad, she gingerly maneuvers the steps sideways to keep from falling. But still, she slipped on the stairs twice last year, once badly hurting her tailbone. “It happened so fast,” she said.
Such predicaments are increasingly common in Maine: the grayest, most rural state in the U.S., with housing among the oldest in the nation. Maine has another distinction: it is among the first states to experience challenges from a growing number of seniors who are “aging in place”—remaining independent rather than relocating to nursing homes or moving in with grown children.
More elderly across the nation are aging at home for a variety of reasons: they prefer to and are healthy enough to stay; they can’t afford other options such as assisted living; and states in some cases have imposed policies to limit nursing home stays paid for by Medicaid, which is a major funder of long-term institutional health care for older Americans.
But aging in place is proving difficult in places where the population is growing older, supportive services are scarce, houses are in disrepair and younger people who can assist have moved away. As a result, elderly people who live at home are having to rely more on neighbors—who sometimes are elderly, too—and local nonprofits and public agencies are starting to feel the strain from increasing requests for help.
“It’s a huge issue—it couldn’t be bigger,” said Lenard Kaye, director of the University of Maine Center on Aging. “Ninety-nine percent of older adults say they want to stay right where they are until they’ve taken their last breath, but that doesn’t mean they are continuing to remain safe and remain well.”
Keep reading.
Why 'Market Garden' Was a Bridge Too Far
The Allies' Operation Market Garden took place September 17–25, 1944.
Here's a history flashback, at the BBC, "The Battle of Arnhem (Operation Market Garden)" (via RealClearHistory):
And watch, "A bridge too far movie first bridge fight."
Here's a history flashback, at the BBC, "The Battle of Arnhem (Operation Market Garden)" (via RealClearHistory):
In May 1945 it was the Russians who hoisted their flag over the ruins of the Reichstag building in Berlin. In this way World War Two, in Europe, was signalled as being effectively over. However, the troops who captured Berlin could easily have been British or American, if events around a small town in Holland had turned out differently.Keep reading.
If Operation Market Garden, planned to take place in the area near Arnhem, in Holland, had succeeded, the western Allies could have punched their way across one of the last great natural barriers between them and the German fatherland.
Their tanks and troops might have reached Berlin weeks before the Russians, ending the war by Christmas 1944. The fate of post-war Europe might have been very different.
Market Garden was one of the boldest plans of World War Two. Thirty thousand British and American airborne troops were to be flown behind enemy lines to capture the eight bridges that spanned the network of canals and rivers on the Dutch/German border.
At the same time, British tanks and infantry were to push up a narrow road leading from the Allied front line to these key bridges. They would relieve the airborne troops, and then cross the intact bridges.
The plan was conceived by General Bernard Montgomery, commander of the British forces in Europe. The glittering triumph of the D-Day landings in France had become bogged down in the slow and costly progress through the Normandy fields and hedgerows, which the Germans defended with skill and tenacity.
Despite this, after weeks of heavy fighting, the Allies had finally broken through. For the next three weeks they rolled through France and Belgium, liberating Paris and Brussels. Victory for the Allies seemed close.
But Hitler's forces were regrouping, and as the Allies pushed nearer to Germany's borders, German resistance stiffened. Montgomery believed that a powerful, narrow thrust deep into German lines would be more effective than an advance on a broad front, which had become difficult to supply from the few ports controlled by the Allies, and this was why he devised Operation Market Garden...
And watch, "A bridge too far movie first bridge fight."
Interview with Los Angeles Anchor Baby Sophie Cruz, the Pawn Immigrant Child Who Met the Pope (VIDEO)
Following-up from yesterday, "Anchor Baby Sophie Cruz Plea to Pope Wasn't Spontaneous (VIDEO)."
Watch, at CBS News 2 Los Angeles , "LA Girl's Encounter With Pope In DC Not Random."
Watch, at CBS News 2 Los Angeles , "LA Girl's Encounter With Pope In DC Not Random."
Interview with Woman Who Gave Birth During Padres-Giants Game at Petco Park (VIDEO)
Following-up from yesterday, "Woman Gives Birth at Petco Park."
And now at ABC News 10 San Diego, "'I'm going to have this baby, like right now'."
And now at ABC News 10 San Diego, "'I'm going to have this baby, like right now'."
Angels Beat Mariners 8-4 at Anaheim Stadium to Move 1/2 Game Out of Wildcard Spot
Second baseman Johnny Giavotella returned from the disabled list to put up a performance for the ages.
At the Los Angeles Times, "Angels begin last stand in playoff chase with a win over Mariners," and "Angels' Johnny Giavotella gives credit to mom for recovery."
And at the O.C. Register, "His vision healed, Angels' Johnny Giavotella is a sight for sore eyes."
At the Los Angeles Times, "Angels begin last stand in playoff chase with a win over Mariners," and "Angels' Johnny Giavotella gives credit to mom for recovery."
And at the O.C. Register, "His vision healed, Angels' Johnny Giavotella is a sight for sore eyes."
Friday, September 25, 2015
Here's Jackie Johnson's Sunny and Warm Weekend Forecast
Very nice weather.
I'm enjoying it while it lasts.
At CBS News 2 Los Angeles:
I'm enjoying it while it lasts.
At CBS News 2 Los Angeles:
Anchor Baby Sophie Cruz Plea to Pope Wasn't Spontaneous (VIDEO)
In other words, it was a lie.
At IBD, "Pope's Cherubic Child Moment Nothing But a Staged Production."
And at AP, "Immigration group planned girl's pope encounter for a year."
At IBD, "Pope's Cherubic Child Moment Nothing But a Staged Production."
And at AP, "Immigration group planned girl's pope encounter for a year."
Giants Pitcher Madison Bumgarner and Home-Plate Umpire Joe West Exchange Death Stares (VIDEO)
Bumgarner had a bummer of a night, getting pulled after seven innings, only to have reliever Sergio Romo blow a 4-3 lead in the eighth. The Giants beat the Padres 5-4 after a walk-off single by Alexi Amarista.
Giants fans on Twitter last night were merciless.
See the San Francisco Chronicle, "Giants’ bullpen collapses again in loss to Padres":
Well, that baby boy born at Petco Park last night's going to have some whopper tales to tell when he gets older. Hopefully family members for mom and dad saved the local sports page, heh.
Giants fans on Twitter last night were merciless.
See the San Francisco Chronicle, "Giants’ bullpen collapses again in loss to Padres":
SAN DIEGO — For the reigning champs, it’s no longer about calculating magic numbers and critiquing games behind. It’s about shutting down wounded players and dreading elimination day.More.
The season is closing fast on the Giants, who lost to the Padres 5-4 Thursday night in a game Madison Bumgarner — amid stare-downs with umpire Joe West — was denied his 19th win by a worn-down bullpen.
Bumgarner gave up three runs on three hits in seven innings and exited with a 4-3 lead, only to watch Hunter Strickland and Sergio Romo permit the tying run in the eighth and Mike Broadway and Josh Osich yield the winning run in the ninth, Alexi Amarista’s single giving the Padres a walk-off win for the second straight night.
Wednesday, Jake Peavy’s six scoreless innings were wasted as manager Bruce Bochy set a franchise record by using 10 pitchers in a nine-inning game.
“It’s a crazy game we play,” Bumgarner said. “We’ve been through a lot this year. A lot of injuries, a lot of adversity. I feel real good about the group of guys we have here. The way we played this year, right now it’s not what we would have wanted and worked for. At the same time, you’ve got to realize how hard this game is.”
Bumgarner’s confrontations with West were clear to see, especially when West pulled off his mask and either barked at or glared at Bumgarner, who wasn’t thrilled with the strike zone when he was both hitting and pitching.
“Joe was behind the plate?” asked Bumgarner, showing his serious look. “I don’t pay attention to the umpires. I didn’t even realize he was back there.”
Well, that baby boy born at Petco Park last night's going to have some whopper tales to tell when he gets older. Hopefully family members for mom and dad saved the local sports page, heh.
Woman Gives Birth at Petco Park
No that's an entrance into the world.
Watch ABC News 10 San Diego, "A first for Petco: woman gives birth at the ballpark."
Watch ABC News 10 San Diego, "A first for Petco: woman gives birth at the ballpark."
'Influential conservatives who operate right-leaning news outlets or sit behind microphones for a living would be wise to tread carefully...'
From Noah Rothman, "No True Conservative":
“I think conservatives have no clue how bad the Boehner resignation is for them,” wrote Real Clear Politics analyst Sean Trende. The factionalism that has come to characterize the leaderless Republican Party today will manifest itself in that fight. “[W]however loses really might pick up their toys and go home,” Trende speculated. As an outgrowth of the bitter squabbles that have typified the primary race, this seems a reasonably likely if worst-case scenario.I gather Rothman's headline is a riff on the logical fallacy, "No true Scotsman..."
'Our Civil Servants and Representatives Should Be Servant Leaders, Not Lying Manipulators or Dictators...'
A great comment, from the thread at the Wall Street Journal, blogged here, "Speaker John Boehner to Resign":
The departure of Speaker Boehner will do little to diminish the stench emanating from the dismal swamp called Washington, DC. It will do little to stanch the exacerbation of class hatred, racial strife, lying, corruption, cronyism, and political elitism that we have lived with for six years.RELATED: At iOTW Report, "Paul Ryan’s Idiotic Statement on Boehner Resignation."
I wonder if Speaker Boehner had hoped that the Pope would endow the nation and our government with the grace that would restore civility, reverence for the Constitution, respect for our fellow citizens, and honesty. I wonder if he had hoped that Francis would provide a reminder that our civil servants and representatives should be servant leaders, not lying manipulators or dictators.
We shall see.
VIDEO: Hero Knocks Out Bully Who Attacked Blind Student at Huntington Beach High School
At KTLA, via Memeorandum, "Huntington Beach High Student Arrested for Allegedly Beating Visually Impaired Teen; Video of Incident Goes Viral."
And watch, at CBS News 2 Los Angeles, "Caught on Video: Huntington Beach High Student Comes to Defense of Blind Friend and Knocks Out Bully."
This should be the regular thing, the heroism. But what if it was Muslim bully attacking a blind student. Oh boy, CAIR would be screaming "Islamophobia' from the rooftops.
And watch, at CBS News 2 Los Angeles, "Caught on Video: Huntington Beach High Student Comes to Defense of Blind Friend and Knocks Out Bully."
This should be the regular thing, the heroism. But what if it was Muslim bully attacking a blind student. Oh boy, CAIR would be screaming "Islamophobia' from the rooftops.
Czar Nicholas II and Alexandria Exhumed (VIDEO)
CNN's got video, "Russian Czar's remains exhumed."
And the story, at Blazing Cat Fur, "The Bodies of Nicholas II and Alexandra Are Exhumed."
Also at Telegraph UK, "Russia exhumes remains of last emperor Nicholas II and empress Alexandra."
And the story, at Blazing Cat Fur, "The Bodies of Nicholas II and Alexandra Are Exhumed."
Also at Telegraph UK, "Russia exhumes remains of last emperor Nicholas II and empress Alexandra."
Bitcoin Blackmail Email Ashley Madison Chain-Letter
Heh, I'm not having an affair, and if these idiots spammer want to send a screencap of my Facebook page to my wife, they can go right ahead.
I got two of these bitcoin blackmail emails in my spam folder this morning, and they're actually kinda funny.
At Gizmodo, "Extortionists Are After the Ashley Madison Users and They Want Bitcoin":
Fucking losers.
I got two of these bitcoin blackmail emails in my spam folder this morning, and they're actually kinda funny.
At Gizmodo, "Extortionists Are After the Ashley Madison Users and They Want Bitcoin":
This is an unnerving but not unpredictable turn of events. The data that the Ashley Madison hackers released early this week included millions of real email addresses, along with real home addresses, sexual proclivities and other very private information. Security blogger Brian Krebs talked to security firms who have evidence of extortion schemes linked to Ashley Madison data. Turns out spam filters are catching a number of emails being sent to victims from people who say they’ll make the information public unless they get paid!Lolz. I'm not on Ashley Madison, but any extortionist can get my email off my Blogger profile. In fact, my spammers altered the chain email like this:
Here’s one caught by an email provider in Milwaukee:
Hello,The above email was forwarded to Brian Krebs who points out that no bitcoins have been added that wallet yet. (Looks like the Milwaukee-based victim did not pay up.)
Unfortunately, your data was leaked in the recent hacking of Ashley Madison and I now have your information.
If you would like to prevent me from finding and sharing this information with your significant other send exactly 1.0000001 Bitcoins (approx. value $225 USD) to the following address:
1B8eH7HR87vbVbMzX4gk9nYyus3KnXs4Ez
Sending the wrong amount means I won’t know it’s you who paid.
You have 7 days from receipt of this email to send the BTC [bitcoins]. If you need help locating a place to purchase BTC, you can start here….
One security expert explained to Krebs that this type of extortion could be dangerous. “There is going to be a dramatic crime wave of these types of virtual shakedowns, and they’ll evolve into spear-phishing campaigns that leverage crypto malware,” said Tom Kellerman of Trend Micro...
I have all of your information about your affair, including the pics. I have your Facebook page as well, using this I can now message all of your friends and family members.Right.
If you would like to prevent me from sharing this dirt info with all of your friends and family members (and perhaps even your employers too?) then you need to send 1 bitcoin to the following BTC address...
Fucking losers.
Angels Overcome Struggles to Stay in Hunt for October (VIDEO)
A couple of weekends ago, when Huston Street blew a save, with the Astros scoring 5 runs in the top of 9th inning, I'd pretty much given up on the Angels. I didn't even turn on the television a couple of nights when Anaheim was at Seattle.
So imagine my pleasant surprise at the heart these guys had during this week's series against the Astros, and before that, the Twins. The team is 1 1/2 games behind Houston in the wildcard race, and 4 games behind the Rangers for the lead in the American League West. The last home stand, the first week of October, is against Texas, so it should be exiting all the way down to the wire.
At the Los Angeles Times, "Angels overcome distractions, slumps and struggles to stay in playoff hunt":
So imagine my pleasant surprise at the heart these guys had during this week's series against the Astros, and before that, the Twins. The team is 1 1/2 games behind Houston in the wildcard race, and 4 games behind the Rangers for the lead in the American League West. The last home stand, the first week of October, is against Texas, so it should be exiting all the way down to the wire.
At the Los Angeles Times, "Angels overcome distractions, slumps and struggles to stay in playoff hunt":
The Angels haven't exactly thrived in this season of tumult, which began with Josh Hamilton's substance-abuse relapse, banishment and trade to Texas, included General Manager Jerry Dipoto's abrupt resignation July 1 and a brutal August in which they went 10-19 and averaged fewer than three runs a game.Keep reading.
They are 78-74, the mediocre record a reflection of the struggles of several pitchers and players they were counting on and injuries to pitcher C.J. Wilson, third baseman David Freese, second baseman Johnny Giavotella and first baseman Albert Pujols.
But they've survived, and with 10 games left they are 1 1/2 games behind Houston for the second American League wild-card spot entering Friday night's game against Seattle in Anaheim.
"These guys have filtered out every distraction and just came in and played ball," Manager Mike Scioscia said. "We're definitely proud of that. There's a lot of veteran leadership in there, and the coaching staff has been incredible in keeping these guys where they need to be."
That the Angels are still alive is a testament to their resolve, the talents of high-end performers such as Mike Trout, Kole Calhoun, Erick Aybar, Garrett Richards, Andrew Heaney and Huston Street and the maturation of rookies Carlos Perez and Trevor Gott.
And it helps that the other wild-card challengers — Houston, Minnesota, Baltimore and Cleveland — are every bit as flawed as the Angels, with holes in their lineups, rotations and bullpens that make them susceptible to uneven play.
But as the Kansas City Royals proved again last October, it doesn't matter how you get to the postseason.
"Anything can happen then," Freese said. "You look back on the season and wish you did this or that early on; it's just human nature to do that. But when you're in a position to get in, that's all you can ask for."
The Angels are 13-8 in September and coming off two pressure-packed, one-run wins in Houston that imbued them with the confidence and mettle to win playoff-like games. They're heating up at the right time.
The Ayatollah's Genocidal Threat to Israel
From Dr. Majid Rafizadeh, at FrontPage Magazine, "The Supreme Leader puts an expiration date on the Jewish State."
Christianity's Dangerous Idea
I love this book, from Alister McGrath, Christianity's Dangerous Idea: The Protestant Revolution — A History from the Sixteenth Century to the Twenty-First.
I reread chapter 5 last night, "England: The Emergence of Anglican Protestantism." I was talking about King Henry VIII in my classes yesterday, and I wanted to review this history for next week as well. It's fascinating.
I reread chapter 5 last night, "England: The Emergence of Anglican Protestantism." I was talking about King Henry VIII in my classes yesterday, and I wanted to review this history for next week as well. It's fascinating.
Beautiful Kayla Collins (VIDEO)
Watch, at Playboy, "Kayla Collins in Motion is a Beautiful Thing."
She's on Twitter as well:
Plus, at London's Daily Mail, "Kayla Collins Poses in Saucy Lingerie Photoshoot."
She's on Twitter as well:
Happy Friday 😘 pic.twitter.com/0kIB4pKcPD
— Kayla Collins (@KaylaCollins) September 18, 2015
Plus, at London's Daily Mail, "Kayla Collins Poses in Saucy Lingerie Photoshoot."
The Clock, the Pope, and Totalitarian Apologists
From Erick Erickson, at Town Hall:
RTWT.
In Irving, Texas, a few days after the anniversary of September 11, a 14-year-old boy named Ahmed Mohamed took a clock to school that he had assembled inside a pencil case. He claimed he wanted to show it to his science teacher.Kind of depressing, when you think about it, especially that we've still got 14 more months of this administration.
Afterward, the clock started beeping in another class, and Ahmed got in trouble. We know he was arrested for disrupting school. We know he was not very cooperative. But beyond that, we do not know much more than the public relations spin his family and the Council on American Islamic Relations have put out.
We do not know anything else because Ahmed's family has refused to allow the police in Irving or the local school district to release their side of the story. We know that Ahmed has been photographed with CAIR representatives. We know his father is an Islamic activist. We know his sister once got in trouble for disrupting school. As reported by The Daily Beast, Ahmed's sister, Eyman, said she "got suspended from school for three days from this same stupid district, from this girl saying I wanted to blow up the school, something I had nothing to do with."
On HBO's "Real Time with Bill Maher," Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban said he called Ahmed to talk to him. Curiously, he could [hear] Ahmed's sister giving Ahmed answers. President Obama tweeted that he stood with Ahmed. The mayor of Irving noted in an interview that Obama was tweeting support for Ahmed before a lot of the facts were even known.
The left championed Ahmed as a victim of Islamophobia a few days after September 11. Never mind that multiple people have convincingly shown that they could identically make Ahmed's clock by taking apart a 1986 Micronta digital alarm clock and reassembling it in a Vaultz locking pencil box purchased on Amazon. The media and Obama have ignored so many facts and have ignored that the family is refusing to allow the school and police to tell their side of the story -- something they can do because Ahmed is a juvenile.
When it is easy for the left, they will take the moral high ground. Another example of this came from Washington last week. Obama greeted Pope Francis at the White House. The president invited transgender, gay and abortion activists to greet the pope. This put the pontiff in a difficult political situation to which the Vatican objected.
Among those who were invited to greet the pope was Gene Robinson, the gay Episcopal bishop whose consecration as an openly gay bishop in a relationship helped escalate the breakup of the American Episcopal Church. Robinson, after helping break up the Episcopal Church, got divorced. Likewise, Obama saw no problem inviting pro-abortion and pro-gay Catholic activists to greet the pope. These people are in active, celebratory rebellion against the Catholic Church and its pope, who maintains his strong belief in the sanctity of traditional marriage and life...
RTWT.
Speaker John Boehner to Resign
Well, I guess this proves there's no crying in congressional leadership.
Watch, at CNN, "John Boehner to resign as House Speaker."
And at the Wall Street Journal, "House Speaker John Boehner to Resign":
Also, at Hot Air and Memeorandum.
And at Also, at Althouse, "IN THE COMMENTS: David Begley said":
Watch, at CNN, "John Boehner to resign as House Speaker."
And at the Wall Street Journal, "House Speaker John Boehner to Resign":
WASHINGTON—House Speaker John Boehner (R., Ohio), long under fire from conservatives within his own party, will resign Oct. 30, according to GOP lawmakers and aides.Keep reading.
Mr. Boehner announced his plans to step down as speaker and resign from Congress at the end of next month at a closed-door meeting of House Republicans Friday morning. The announcement came one day after the 65-year-old welcomed Pope Francis for the first papal visit to Capitol Hill, fulfilling a decadeslong ambition for the speaker...
Also, at Hot Air and Memeorandum.
And at Also, at Althouse, "IN THE COMMENTS: David Begley said":
From altar boy and Jesuit college to meeting the Jesuit Pope in the House. Crying allowed.
Yes, that was my first thought: The Pope made that happen.
AND: There I was yesterday mocking the so-called "breaking news" of the Pope's meeting with John Boehner as "the height of banality."
The United Nations Global Goals for Sustainable Development
Imagine.
At the Guardian UK, "Your comprehensive guide to the UN's Sustainable Development Goals summit," and "Sustainable development quiz: what do you know about the global goals?"
And at CFR, "Sustainable Development Goals."
Also, a U.N.-associated website, "Global Goals," and video, "'We The People' for The Global Goals":
At the Guardian UK, "Your comprehensive guide to the UN's Sustainable Development Goals summit," and "Sustainable development quiz: what do you know about the global goals?"
And at CFR, "Sustainable Development Goals."
Also, a U.N.-associated website, "Global Goals," and video, "'We The People' for The Global Goals":
A new plan for people and planet has just launched - the UN Global Goals for Sustainable Development. Tell everyone! Go here to add your very own intro to this star-studded video and share it with the world: http://wethepeople.globalgoals.org.
You could be introducing a cast that include: Aamir Khan, Ai WeiWei, A R Rahman, Ashton Kutcher, Bill and Melinda Gates, UNHCR supporter Cate Blanchett, UN Messenger of Peace Charlize Theron, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Chris Martin, Colin Firth, Daniel Craig, Djimon Hounsou, G.E.M., Gilberto Gil, Jennifer Lawrence, Jennifer Lopez, John Legend, Kate Winslet, Kid President, UN Messenger of Peace Lang Lang, UNDP Champion Michelle Yeoh, Malala Yousafzai, Matt Damon, Meryl Streep, Natalia Vodianova, One Direction, Pink, Her Majesty Queen Rania Al Abdullah of Jordan, Richard Branson, Robert Pattinson, Robert Redford, WFP Global Ambassador Against Hunger Sami Yusuf, Stephen Hawking, UN Messenger of Peace Stevie Wonder, Tanya Burr, and UNDP Goodwill Ambassador for China Zhou Xun - and many more.
Thursday, September 24, 2015
Piper Cherokee Aircraft Lands on Red Hill Avenue in Irvine (VIDEO)
This would have to be the trippiest thing you ever saw.
Watch, at the O.C. Register, "Video: Small plane seen touching down on Irvine street."
And at LAT, "Video captures plane speeding down Irvine street":
Watch, at the O.C. Register, "Video: Small plane seen touching down on Irvine street."
And at LAT, "Video captures plane speeding down Irvine street":
A week ago, a small plane landed on an Irvine street.
Now, video has emerged showing the Piper Cherokee aircraft quickly gliding down Red Hill Avenue, looking much like a normal car.
The plane was approaching John Wayne Airport when its engine failed. No one was hurt, and the plane eventually came to a stop.
A flight school owns the plane. Here is the video...
Hajj Stampede Kills at Least 717 at Mecca, Saudi Arabia (VIDEO)
Well, the annual pilgrimage to Mecca's doing more to cull the ranks of potential jihadists than anything the Obama administration's done to "degrade and destroy" the Islamic State threat.
Too bad it's only once a year.
At the New York Times, "Hajj Stampede Near Mecca Leaves Over 700 Dead" (via Memeorandum).
And at Althouse, "'There is no accountability... It’s shocking that almost every year there is some kind of death toll...'" (At Memeorandum.)
Too bad it's only once a year.
At the New York Times, "Hajj Stampede Near Mecca Leaves Over 700 Dead" (via Memeorandum).
And at Althouse, "'There is no accountability... It’s shocking that almost every year there is some kind of death toll...'" (At Memeorandum.)
In the Mail: Jerry Oppenheimer, RFK Jr.
I'm still working on a few other books, and I'm hoping to write some reviews.
But, the publishers keep sending out these tomes, heh.
At Amazon, RFK Jr.: Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. and the Dark Side of the Dream.
But, the publishers keep sending out these tomes, heh.
At Amazon, RFK Jr.: Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. and the Dark Side of the Dream.
What Makes Conservatism Right?
Here's Greg Gutfeld for Prager University.
And pre-order his new book, How to Be Right: The Art of Being Persuasively Correct.
And pre-order his new book, How to Be Right: The Art of Being Persuasively Correct.
Los Angeles Declares 'State of Emergency' in Homeless Crisis, Will Commit $100 Million
Following-up from Tuesday, "L.A.'s Homelessness Emergency."
See the Los Angeles Times, "L.A. to declare 'state of emergency' on homelessness, commit $100 million."
See the Los Angeles Times, "L.A. to declare 'state of emergency' on homelessness, commit $100 million."
Mission San Juan Capistrano Visitors React to Canonization of JunÃpero Serra (VIDEO)
Following-up from yesterday, "Pope Francis Canonizes Father JunÃpero Serra."
Watch, at ABC News 7 Los Angeles, "SAN JUAN CAPISTRANO, Calif. (KABC) -- Sitting in the very church Father Junipero Serra founded more than 200 years ago, visitors to Mission San Juan Capistrano watched as Pope Francis canonized the Franciscan priest Wednesday."
Watch, at ABC News 7 Los Angeles, "SAN JUAN CAPISTRANO, Calif. (KABC) -- Sitting in the very church Father Junipero Serra founded more than 200 years ago, visitors to Mission San Juan Capistrano watched as Pope Francis canonized the Franciscan priest Wednesday."
The Truth About the European Migrant Crisis
From Michael Teitelbaum, at Foreign Affairs, "The Truth About the Migrant Crisis: Tragic Choices, Moral Hazards, and Potential Solutions":
The actual numbers of people crossing the Mediterranean into European Union territory, insofar as the limited available evidence is credible, are daunting. During the first eight months of 2015, well over 400,000 people successfully made the fraught journey. In the first part of this year, about 80 percent were departing from the now failed state of Libya and landing on Italian soil More recently, migrant smuggling activities from Turkey to nearby Greek islands have increased.
In increasingly raucous political and press debates in Europe and elsewhere, recent movements are being described as new “disasters,” “policy failures,” and even “invasions” that the EU and its member states have proven incapable of addressing effectively. In fact, such “irregular” migration across the Mediterranean is hardly new, but the volumes are indeed far larger than in prior years. So, too, are the numbers dying in the attempt. The International Organization for Migration in Geneva estimates that during the first eight months of 2015, more than 2,700 would-be Mediterranean migrants perished at sea.
The stark and widely disseminated images of hundreds of thousands of men, women, and children transiting the Mediterranean in crumbling boats, and of the resulting humanitarian disasters at sea, are impossible to ignore. The heart-rending photos of a drowned three-year-old Syrian boy washed up on a Turkish beach were highlighted in print and online media worldwide. Such deeply disturbing images create daunting daily challenges for an EU already struggling with deep recessions, sustained high unemployment, terrorist attacks, economic and political instability in Greece, and challenges to the euro currency system. They provide useful political fodder for the strengthening populist and anti-EU parties and movements that have appeared in most of the 28 member countries. And they have stimulated a rising tide of violent attacks on facilities housing migrants—more than 200 such attacks in Germany this year, described by German Chancellor Angela Merkel as “unworthy of our country.”
TRAGIC CHOICES, MORAL HAZARDS
As they consider responses to these challenges, European government, advocacy, and media leaders need to keep in mind two important concepts: tragic choices and moral hazards.
The recent mass migrations pose deep moral dilemmas for European societies, of a kind that moral philosophers and theologians call “tragic choices.” These are decisions that bring into conflict the ultimate values by which societies define themselves, such as how to allocate scarce resources among very large numbers of desperate people.
The numbers of potential migrants now are exceptionally large. The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) estimates that by the end of 2014, nearly 60 million had been forcibly displaced owing to persecution, conflict, and human rights violations—the highest level on record—and of these, it classified nearly 20 million as “refugees.” To these huge numbers may plausibly be added tens or even hundreds of millions more who would likely be attracted by any available option to migrate away from conditions of deep poverty, starvation, or environmental disaster.
In a world of widespread tragedy, what choices should humanitarian societies make to allocate assistance among these potential migrants? Are they obliged by international law and their own values to admit all who wish to come, whatever the effects? Must they give priority to resettling refugees, as defined by international law, over other migrants? And if so, are they obliged to admit all the 20 million counted as “refugees” by the UNHCR? If not, how should they deal with mass casualties among others who risk their lives to gain access to European countries?
In fraught debates about such moral dilemmas, the legal definitions and everyday usage of “refugees,” “asylum seekers,” and “migrants” have become profoundly confused. There is a vast literature on these definitions; suffice it to say that the 1951 UN Refugee Convention defines a “refugee” as a person outside of his or her country of nationality who is unable or unwilling “to avail himself of the protection of that country . . . owing to well-founded fear of being persecuted for reasons of race, religion, nationality, membership of a particular social group or political opinion.” An “asylum-seeker” differs from a “refugee” only by geography, having already entered the country in which asylum or refugee status is being sought; those who are approved are called both “refugees” and “asylees,” injecting yet another source of confusion. Contrary to common usage, under the Refugee Convention, people who flee failed states, conflicts, or desperate economic conditions do not qualify as refugees or asylees unless they have a legitimate fear of persecution based on one of the five grounds listed above. But such desperate migrants certainly still deserve humanitarian concern.
On top of tragic choices, European officials must contend with moral hazards. In finance and economics, these arise when incentives or guarantees provided by governments or insurers have the perverse effect of encouraging banks, corporations, and individuals to take dangerous risks such as high “leverage” through heavy borrowing, risks that most would otherwise prudently avoid.
International migration itself should now be understood as a highly leveraged phenomenon. Many millions migrate and settle lawfully each year, but they are dwarfed by the dramatically larger numbers of potential migrants created by immense global economic inequalities and the proliferation of failed states and civil wars. These realities, coupled with nearly global access to modern media and transportation, mean that the option of migrating to more peaceful and prosperous countries is increasingly both known and attractive to potentially massive numbers of people—as but one incomplete measure, more than 1 billion of the 7.3 billion human population currently live on less than $1.25 per day.
With such a large pool of migrants waiting in the wings, even small policy shifts on the part of countries seen as desirable destinations—admirable statements of humanitarian welcome for migrants or policy changes intended to provide migration benefits to smaller groups—can cause great swings in the movement of people. To this may be added the perverse incentives facing people who are able to meet the UN refugee definition but unable to obtain visas to be resettled as refugees in a European country. At risk of their lives, they can force the issue by paying smugglers to transport them to that same country in order to claim asylum. Indeed, several EU governments have formally stated that even the humanitarian sea rescue missions are encouraging greater numbers to pursue such high-risk journeys...
What You Should and Shouldn't Do When Meeting Pope Francis (VIDEO)
Well, dress modestly, for one thing.
At the Telegraph UK:
At the Telegraph UK:
An Ahmed Mohamed Comments Section Goes Horribly Wrong
From Ed Driscoll, at Instapundit, "A COMMENT SECTION GOES HORRIBLY WRONG: In order to pretend they didn’t completely jump the gun on the Ahmed the clockmaker story, the DIY-oriented Hackaday Website runs – just out of the blue, totally for kicks and grins, no reason, just seems so pleasin’ – a story titled “Clocks for Social Good.” Things begin to go awry in the comments, starting here..."
RELATED: At Weasel Zippers, "Clock Kid’s Older Sister Claims She Was Suspended After Being Accused of Making a Bomb Threat in Middle School."
RELATED: At Weasel Zippers, "Clock Kid’s Older Sister Claims She Was Suspended After Being Accused of Making a Bomb Threat in Middle School."
Education Gap Between Rich and Poor Is Growing Wider
But what about all that hopey-changey stuff?
At the New York Times:
More funding and additional education reforms will have only a marginal impact on improving student achievement, and hence reducing inequality. The most significant gains are likely to come from changes in the culture, especially the strengthening of the family in minority communities. It would help, too, if public schools were freed from the tyrannical and debilitating control of the Democrat-left and the corrupt teachers unions, which will do nothing to improve educational performance if such reforms weaken their power.
Frankly, if the Obama administration would just start a minority education voucher program so that poor families could afford to send their kids to schools like Sidwell Friends School in Washington, D.C., then we'd be a lot better off.
At the New York Times:
The wounds of segregation were still raw in the 1970s. With only rare exceptions, African-American children had nowhere near the same educational opportunities as whites.Keep reading.
The civil rights movement, school desegregation and the War on Poverty helped bring a measure of equity to the playing field. Today, despite some setbacks along the way, racial disparities in education have narrowed significantly. By 2012, the test-score deficit of black 9-, 13- and 17-year-olds in reading and math had been reduced as much as 50 percent compared with what it was 30 to 40 years before.
Achievements like these breathe hope into our belief in the Land of Opportunity. They build trust in education as a leveling force powering economic mobility. “We do have a track record of reducing these inequalities,” said Jane Waldfogel, a professor of social work at Columbia University.
But the question remains: Why did we stop there?
For all the progress in improving educational outcomes among African-American children, the achievement gaps between more affluent and less privileged children is wider than ever, notes Sean Reardon of the Center for Education Policy Analysis at Stanford. Racial disparities are still a stain on American society, but they are no longer the main divider. Today the biggest threat to the American dream is class.
Education is today more critical than ever. College has become virtually a precondition for upward mobility. Men with only a high school diploma earn about a fifth less than they did 35 years ago. The gap between the earnings of students with a college degree and those without one is bigger than ever.
And yet American higher education is increasingly the preserve of the elite. The sons and daughters of college-educated parents are more than twice as likely to go to college as the children of high school graduates and seven times as likely as those of high school dropouts.
Only 5 percent of Americans ages 25 to 34 whose parents didn’t finish high school have a college degree. By comparison, the average across 20 rich countries in an analysis by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development is almost 20 percent.
The problem, of course, doesn’t start in college.
Earlier this week, Professor Waldfogel and colleagues from Australia, Canada and Britain published a new book titled “Too Many Children Left Behind” (Russell Sage). It traces the story of America’s educational disparities across the life cycle of its children, from the day they enter kindergarten to eighth grade.
Their story goes sour very early, and it gets worse as it goes along. On the day they start kindergarten, children from families of low socioeconomic status are already more than a year behind the children of college graduates in their grasp of both reading and math.
And despite the efforts deployed by the American public education system, nine years later the achievement gap, on average, will have widened by somewhere from one-half to two-thirds.
Even the best performers from disadvantaged backgrounds, who enter kindergarten reading as well as the smartest rich kids, fall behind over the course of their schooling.
The challenges such children face compared to their more fortunate peers are enormous. Children from low socioeconomic backgrounds are seven times more likely to have been born to a teenage mother. Only half live with both parents, compared with 83 percent of the children of college graduates.
The children of less educated parents suffer higher obesity rates, have more social and emotional problems and are more likely to report poor or fair health. And because they are much poorer, they are less likely to afford private preschool or the many enrichment opportunities — extra lessons, tutors, music and art, elite sports teams — that richer, better-educated parents lavish on their children.
When they enter the public education system, they are shortchanged again...
More funding and additional education reforms will have only a marginal impact on improving student achievement, and hence reducing inequality. The most significant gains are likely to come from changes in the culture, especially the strengthening of the family in minority communities. It would help, too, if public schools were freed from the tyrannical and debilitating control of the Democrat-left and the corrupt teachers unions, which will do nothing to improve educational performance if such reforms weaken their power.
Frankly, if the Obama administration would just start a minority education voucher program so that poor families could afford to send their kids to schools like Sidwell Friends School in Washington, D.C., then we'd be a lot better off.
American University Faculty Resolution Rejects 'Trigger Warnings'
An island of sanity in a sea of pure leftist madness.
At Truth Revolt, "Faculty at American University Firmly Reject ‘Trigger Warnings’."
And at Volokh, "American University faculty resolution on freedom of expression (and, in particular, trigger warnings)."
At Truth Revolt, "Faculty at American University Firmly Reject ‘Trigger Warnings’."
And at Volokh, "American University faculty resolution on freedom of expression (and, in particular, trigger warnings)."
Anne Hathaway Talks About Working Alongside Robert De Niro (VIDEO)
At ABC News, "Anne Hathaway on Her New Film 'Intern'."
RELATED: At the Hollywood Reporter, "Robert De Niro Reportedly Storms Out of 'Negative' U.K. Magazine Interview," and at the Guardian UK, "Robert De Niro walks out of Radio Times interview."
RELATED: At the Hollywood Reporter, "Robert De Niro Reportedly Storms Out of 'Negative' U.K. Magazine Interview," and at the Guardian UK, "Robert De Niro walks out of Radio Times interview."
CEO Martin Winterkorn Resigns as Volkswagen Rushes to Stem Growing Scandal (VIDEO)
At WSJ, "Volkswagen Races to Stem Growing Scandal":
BERLIN— Volkswagen AG raced Wednesday to contain the widening scandal threatening Germany’s most important company, ousting its chief executive and pledging to prosecute those involved in a scheme to cheat U.S. auto-pollution tests.Continue reading.
CEO Martin Winterkorn’s resignation follows a calamitous few days after Friday’s disclosure by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency that Europe’s biggest auto maker employed software on some VW and Audi diesel-powered cars to manipulate the results of routine emissions tests.
The crisis threatens to spill beyond the auto maker to the broader German economy. Wolfsburg-based Volkswagen is as much institution as corporation at home, with nearly 300,000 employees, 29 plants across the country and deep ties to the government—Lower Saxony owns 20% of VW.
The company’s next CEO faces a daunting task of cleaning up the scandal—the scope of which remains unclear—and keeping its sales expansion on track. Volkswagen hasn’t yet said it knows who was responsible or how many employees were involved.
On Tuesday, Volkswagen disclosed that as many as 11 million cars contained software alleged to have duped emissions tests and were possibly subject to a global recall. The company issued a profit warning and disclosed a €6.5 billion ($7.27 billion) charge to earnings to cover the costs of addressing the matter.
In a statement following Wednesday’s meeting of the company’s top shareholders and labor representatives, Mr. Winterkorn said he would “accept responsibility” for the “irregularities that have been found in diesel engines” and tendered his resignation to the supervisory board.
“I am shocked by the events of the past few days,” he said. “Above all, I am stunned that misconduct on such a scale was possible in the Volkswagen Group.”
The executive committee of the supervisory board thanked Mr. Winterkorn for his contributions to the company and said the CEO had “no knowledge of manipulation of the emissions data.”
The committee said it would seek prosecution of any Volkswagen employees involved in the affair, and it would establish a special investigative committee to uncover what had happened and who was responsible.
The board subcommittee said it would present by Friday’s scheduled supervisory board meeting names of candidates to succeed Mr. Winterkorn, but didn’t disclose any...
PETA Sues on Behalf of Monkey for Copyright Ownership
From David Post, at Volokh, "I’d be smiling, too, if I owned the copyright to this photograph."
More, "Monkey wants copyright and cash from ‘monkey selfies,’ PETA lawsuit says."
And see, "This Selfie May Set a Legal Precedent."
Well, it's a great picture. But do animals have property rights?
More, "Monkey wants copyright and cash from ‘monkey selfies,’ PETA lawsuit says."
And see, "This Selfie May Set a Legal Precedent."
Well, it's a great picture. But do animals have property rights?
Monkey in monkey selfie deserves rights to photo, PETA says http://t.co/eeNPymST4r pic.twitter.com/Z2h5D5unKN
— TIME.com (@TIME) September 23, 2015Wednesday, September 23, 2015
Pope Francis Canonizes Father JunÃpero Serra
The background's at the Washington Post, "Pope Francis is about to make Junipero Serra a saint during a historic canonization today." (At Memeorandum.)
And at the Los Angeles Times, "Pope Francis canonizes Father Junipero Serra, saying he defended Native Americans."
PHOTO: Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception, c/o Wikimedia Commons.
And at the Los Angeles Times, "Pope Francis canonizes Father Junipero Serra, saying he defended Native Americans."
PHOTO: Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception, c/o Wikimedia Commons.
Conservative Catholics Fear Pope Francis Has Abandoned Core Teachings of the Church (VIDEO)
He's a freakin' leftist, way outside the mainstream of American politics, to say nothing of the conservative laity.
At the Wall Street Journal, "Conservative Catholics in U.S. Greet Pope Francis With Unease":
At the Wall Street Journal, "Conservative Catholics in U.S. Greet Pope Francis With Unease":
ARLINGTON, Va.— Jacquelyn Dupuy attends Mass every Sunday, as well as several days during the week. She gives daily lessons on the catechism to her two young children. And on the first date with her now-husband, she quizzed him about his views on abortion.Keep reading.
But she won’t be among the throngs crossing the Potomac River to see the pope during his time in Washington, D.C., this week. Because of her deep faith, she says, Ms. Dupuy is troubled by Pope Francis’ relaxed disposition when it comes to controversial topics such as homosexuality, contraception and divorce.
“I’m not exactly sure where he stands on issues that are really important to me,” says Ms. Dupuy, a 37-year-old stay-at-home mother. “I feel there is a disconnect. He seems to be saying things that contradict church teaching.”
Ms. Dupuy’s apprehension illustrates some of the broader anxieties about the pope among a key cohort of American Catholics: the conservative faithful who have provided a strong and energetic base for the church over the last three decades.
For them, some of the major issues behind Pope Francis’ world-wide acclaim—his conciliatory approach to gay people, for instance—have instead been a cause for dismay. Like Ms. Dupuy, many fear the pope is blurring the lines around seminal teachings and creating confusion about what it means to be Catholic.
“Conservatives worry about the way he seems to have turned from the culture war over issues like abortion and homosexual marriage,” says Robert Royal, president of the conservative Faith and Reason Institute in Washington, D.C. “The image that gets transmitted is that these are not ‘Francis issues’—that he’s more interested in income inequality, the gap between rich and poor, the environment,” adds Mr. Royal, who belongs to the Catholic diocese here.
“It’s high time that he said, ‘here’s the church’s teaching and we will not change on these issues,’ ” says Patrick O’Neill, a father of three who attends another church in the diocese, Holy Trinity in Gainesville, and says he “humbly disagree(s)” with the pope on his decision to discuss allowing divorced and remarried Catholics to receive Communion.
Rev. Federico Lombardi, the Vatican spokesman, wouldn’t comment on specific criticisms about the pope. “It can be hard for some people to understand the pope’s positions,” he said. “But we trust that, if people listen and watch carefully what the pope says and does, everybody is going to be reassured that the pope is leading the church the right way. He’s applying the Gospel to today’s world.”
United in Hate
I just went back and reread Jamie Glazov's chapter on Cuba's totalitarian regime, in United in Hate: The Left's Romance with Tyranny and Terror, mainly in light of the Pope's visit with Fidel last week.
It's essential reading.
It's essential reading.
Man Faces 11 Years in Prison If Convicted of Punching 78-Year-Old Over Nutella Samples
Nutella samples?
Well that wasn't too smart.
KTLA's got a report, at Memeorandum.
And watch, at CBS News, "78-Year-Old Man Punched In Face Over Nutella Waffle Samples Recounts Ordeal."
Well that wasn't too smart.
KTLA's got a report, at Memeorandum.
And watch, at CBS News, "78-Year-Old Man Punched In Face Over Nutella Waffle Samples Recounts Ordeal."
Don Henley: Donald Trump is 'Over the Line'
Don Henley's one of my favorite rockers, but don't let his comments on Donald Trump fool you: You'd be hard pressed to find anyone more hardcore on the protection of property rights, so Don Henley actually coming at Donald Trump from the right.
Watch, "Don Henley: Trump went over fine line between pride and arrogance."
And buy Henley's new country music CD, at Amazon, "Cass Country."
Watch, "Don Henley: Trump went over fine line between pride and arrogance."
And buy Henley's new country music CD, at Amazon, "Cass Country."
Majority of Americans Reject Pope Francis' Position on 'Climate Change'
It's a 56 percent majority, in fact.
At Bloomberg, "America Loves Pope Francis, But Not His Stance on Climate Change: Bloomberg Poll."
Meanwhile, the Democrat-controlled Senate is pushing a big climate change bill, because priorities!
At PuffHo, "Senate Democrats Stage Major Climate Change Push."
At Bloomberg, "America Loves Pope Francis, But Not His Stance on Climate Change: Bloomberg Poll."
Meanwhile, the Democrat-controlled Senate is pushing a big climate change bill, because priorities!
At PuffHo, "Senate Democrats Stage Major Climate Change Push."
Say It Ain't So! Baseball Legend Yogi Berra Has Died
What a guy.
See the obituary at the New York Times, "Yogi Berra, Hall of Fame Catcher for the Yankees, Dies at 90."
See the obituary at the New York Times, "Yogi Berra, Hall of Fame Catcher for the Yankees, Dies at 90."
Ann Coulter Broke My Heart
Well, Ann Coulter's not going to break my heart, because I can't take her that seriously.
She's got a shtick.
But see Sarah Rumpf, at the Daily Beast, "As a young conservative, Ann Coulter was one of my heroes. And then she went off the deep end."
And Coulter's book from 2012, Demonic: How the Liberal Mob Is Endangering America. It's good!
She's got a shtick.
But see Sarah Rumpf, at the Daily Beast, "As a young conservative, Ann Coulter was one of my heroes. And then she went off the deep end."
And Coulter's book from 2012, Demonic: How the Liberal Mob Is Endangering America. It's good!
Steven Crowder Strips Down to His BVD's for Grand Rapids Feminist Film Festival (VIDEO)
All in good fun, my friends.
You've got to be a happy warrior out there to keep your sanity.
Watch, at Five Feet of Fury, "Steven Crowder goes to feminist film festival, strips down to his shorts (video)."
You've got to be a happy warrior out there to keep your sanity.
Watch, at Five Feet of Fury, "Steven Crowder goes to feminist film festival, strips down to his shorts (video)."
Bill and Hillary Clinton Paid at Least $1.6 Million for Speeches to Drug Companies
Well, nice work if you can get it.
At Free Beacon, "Clintons Paid at Least $1.6M for Speeches to Drug Companies."
At Free Beacon, "Clintons Paid at Least $1.6M for Speeches to Drug Companies."
Florida Suspect Fidel Lopez Charged in 'Rough Sex' Murder
Yeah, "rough sex" so rough that the guy ripped the living shit out this woman when she screamed her ex-husband's name in the middle of it. The demon Lopez disemboweled her.
At the Other McCain, "Florida Woman Disemboweled During Tequila-Fueled ‘Rough Sex’ Rage."
At the Other McCain, "Florida Woman Disemboweled During Tequila-Fueled ‘Rough Sex’ Rage."
Vafru 2 Port 3.1A USB Car Charger
At Amazon, [CE&FCC Certified] Vafru 2 Port 3.1A USB Car Charger + IQ Technology - Best Car Charger for Cell Phone, Tablet & Other USB Electronic Devices - iPhone 6+ 6 5 5S 5C, iPad, iPod, Android, Samsung Galaxy S6 S5 S4 S3 S2 Note, Tablet and most USB devices (Black).
Plus, from Brent Schlender, Becoming Steve Jobs: The Evolution of a Reckless Upstart into a Visionary Leader.
Plus, from Brent Schlender, Becoming Steve Jobs: The Evolution of a Reckless Upstart into a Visionary Leader.
Green Illusions Fell an Auto CEO
Following-up from earlier, "U.S. Taxpayers Duped Out of $51 Million in Green Subsidies for Volkswagen 'Clean' Cars (VIDEO)."
Now here's Holman Jenkins, at WSJ, "Volkswagen bet its U.S. future on curing American drivers of their aversion to diesel":
Now here's Holman Jenkins, at WSJ, "Volkswagen bet its U.S. future on curing American drivers of their aversion to diesel":
What puzzled a business columnist five years ago remains puzzling today. Martin Winterkorn, the now-embattled Volkswagen chief, grandly pronounced a goal to make VW the world’s biggest car maker by sales. Shouldn’t a business manager care about whether capital is productively deployed to maximize returns, not about generating sales volume for its own sake?Keep reading, and remember, leftism is built on a lie. And the dues for doing the devil's work keep coming due.
Mr. Winterkorn might have noticed, for one thing, that the sales crown had been associated with catastrophe for its two most recent wearers, Toyota and GM. Mr. Winterkorn would need to find a bigger place for VW in the U.S. market—and bowdlerized a car that had earned a small but devoted fandom in the U.S., the Jetta, cheapening it into a Corolla wannabe. His U.S.-tailored Passat landed with a thud just as fuel prices were falling and American families were turning to small SUVs instead.
VW at least had learned something from a previous foray in the U.S. market. In the late 1970s, the company tried to recover its plummeting market share by opening a UAW-staffed factory in New Stanton, Pa. That plant was a disaster from day one and closed a few years later. This time, VW built its plant in Tennessee in pursuit of well-behaved, nonunion labor. Yet there followed an attempt at self-sabotage of the sort that inspires feature stories in women’s magazines: To appease labor back in Germany, VW tried to slip the UAW into the factory through the backdoor anyway, only to be prevented by its own U.S. workers.
All this now becomes preamble to the scandal that completes the disaster of Mr. Winterkorn’s tenure: His admission that VW used a software trick to fool U.S. emissions tests even while its diesel-engined Volkswagens on U.S. roads put out many times the allowable limit of nitrogen oxides.
Any chief executive can have bad luck, but these were poor decisions: To alienate the company’s residual U.S. fans by downgrading the Jetta with a cheap rear axle. To blithely insert the company in the partisan fault-line that divides the union-dominated northern U.S. auto industry and the nonunion south, and to do so directly in the wake of the inflammatory GM and Chrysler bailouts.
But beggaring belief is the latest scandal, committed in the service of a dubious marketing strategy from the get-go. This was VW’s bet that it could cure Americans of their aversion to diesel by flogging the car’s supposed “green” credentials. Unpropitiously, the company launched its bet as gasoline engines were catching up with diesel engines in efficiency, and when diesel fuel is pricier than gasoline and harder to find.
Yet Mr. Winterkorn was reconfirmed in his control as recently as April, when a board fight prompted the exit of VW’s eminence grise, Chairman Ferdinand Piëch, who built the modern company and had begun to criticize Mr. Winterkorn’s American endeavors. Mr. Winterkorn’s key ally in ejecting Mr. Piëch was labor representative Bernd Osterloh, also his partner in the UAW fiasco. That should tell you something.
Mr. Winterkorn may be on his way out but not before he all but pleaded guilty on the company’s behalf to the emissions-cheating charges, which, coming from the EPA, might normally deserve skepticism...
Baby Boy Born on the Sidewalk in Irvine
At the O.C. Register, "Mother delivers baby on Irvine sidewalk."
And watch, at CBS News 2 Los Angeles, "After Rush Out the Front Door, Baby Born on Irvine Sidewalk":
And watch, at CBS News 2 Los Angeles, "After Rush Out the Front Door, Baby Born on Irvine Sidewalk":
Benjamin Paul Grindstaff arrived a couple of weeks later than expected, but when he finally decided it was time to come into the world, he didn’t waste any time.
U.S. Taxpayers Duped Out of $51 Million in Green Subsidies for Volkswagen 'Clean' Cars (VIDEO)
A lovely story, emblematic of our crony capitalism during the Obama interregnum.
At the Los Angeles Times, "U.S. taxpayers duped into shelling out $51 million in green subsidies for 'clean' VW vehicles."
Also, "Volkswagen emissions scandal expands to 11 million vehicles":
Also at ABC News, "Volkswagen - World's Largest Automaker Apologizes."
At the Los Angeles Times, "U.S. taxpayers duped into shelling out $51 million in green subsidies for 'clean' VW vehicles."
Also, "Volkswagen emissions scandal expands to 11 million vehicles":
The expanding Volkswagen diesel emissions scandal now includes 11 million vehicles worldwide, and threatens to destroy the credibility and market value of a global behemoth that was already showing signs of instability.Still more.
The world's largest automobile manufacturer, Volkswagen Group was experiencing weakening sales in the U.S. and China, its two most promising areas of growth. As of the Friday before the emissions story broke, the company's stock had already fallen to $162 a share, from a March 2015 high of $255. Midday Tuesday, the stock traded at $106.
Volkswagen has confirmed Environmental Protection Agency charges that it installed software "defeat devices" in versions of its 2009-2015 Jetta, Beetle, Golf, Passat and Audi A3 passenger cars fitted with 2.0-liter, 4-cylinder engines.
The company on Tuesday said the same software was present in as many as 11 million vehicles sold worldwide. The company said in a statement it was working "at full speed" to come into regulatory compliance.
Facing up to as much as $18 billion in U.S. fines alone -- and liable for fines and punishments in other countries -- Volkswagen said it would also set aside $7.2 billion to cover the cost of recalls and “other efforts to win back the trust of our customers.”
That broken trust may prove equally problematic for Volkswagen's bottom line. Many buyers feel duped into having bought a polluting car with a green marketing campaign for the "clean diesels."
In California, which has the nation's toughest emissions standards, outraged consumers used social media to air their anger at the company. Many said they were angry enough at the company to turn away from the brand permanently.
Owner Bob Merlis, an independent music industry publicist, said he was looking to add a second Volkswagen diesel last week.
"I went shopping for a new one, the Golf Sportwagen, but that's so off the table now," Merlis said. "I don't want to do business with those criminals."
Also at ABC News, "Volkswagen - World's Largest Automaker Apologizes."
Ahmed Mohamed’s Family Blocking Release of Records
Yeah, the oh-so virtuous Ahmed Mohamed. Cry "Islamphobia" and you get a first-class ticket to the Obama White House.
But the family's got stuff to hide. Not only has the father pulled the kids out of the Irving School District, they're fleeing to Mecca after the visit with Barack Hussein, better to get out from under the media spotlight, no doubt.
And now there's news that Ahmed's loved ones have stonewalled requests for the release of records. Hmm... Just a matter of privacy, I'm sure. Nothing to hide.
At IOTW Repot, "Irving Mayor: Ahmed Mohamed’s Family Blocking Release of Records."
ICYMI: "Ahmed Mohamed's Clock 'Sure sure doesn't look like any clock I've seen...'"
But the family's got stuff to hide. Not only has the father pulled the kids out of the Irving School District, they're fleeing to Mecca after the visit with Barack Hussein, better to get out from under the media spotlight, no doubt.
And now there's news that Ahmed's loved ones have stonewalled requests for the release of records. Hmm... Just a matter of privacy, I'm sure. Nothing to hide.
At IOTW Repot, "Irving Mayor: Ahmed Mohamed’s Family Blocking Release of Records."
ICYMI: "Ahmed Mohamed's Clock 'Sure sure doesn't look like any clock I've seen...'"
NewsBusted — 69 Percent of Americans Say Country Headed in the Wrong Direction...
Here's Jodie Miller, via Theo Spark:
And here's the poll, at Rasmussen, "Right Direction or Wrong Track: 25% Say U.S. Heading in Right Direction."
And here's the poll, at Rasmussen, "Right Direction or Wrong Track: 25% Say U.S. Heading in Right Direction."
Tuesday, September 22, 2015
Vote to Approve Migrant Relocation Tests Limits of European Unity (VIDEO)
Things are coming to a head.
At the New York Times, "Plan on Migrants Strains the Limits of Europe’s Unity":
BONUS: At the Los Angeles Times, "Refugee crisis exposes a deep divide in European Union."
At the New York Times, "Plan on Migrants Strains the Limits of Europe’s Unity":
LONDON — After weeks of indecision, the European Union voted on Tuesday to distribute 120,000 asylum seekers among member states, a plan meant to display unity in the face of the largest movement of refugees on the Continent since World War II.Keep reading.
Instead, the decision — forced through by a majority vote, over the bitter objections of four eastern members — did as much to underline the bloc’s widening divisions, even over a modest step that barely addresses the crisis.
Nearly half a million migrants and refugees have arrived in Europe this year, according to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, a number that is only expected to rise.
The crisis has tested the limits of Europe’s ability to forge consensus on one of the most divisive issues to confront the union since the fall of Communism. It has set right-wing nationalist and populist politicians against Pan-European humanitarians, who have portrayed the crisis in stark moral terms.
“We would have preferred to have adoption by consensus, but we did not manage to achieve that,” Jean Asselborn, the foreign minister of Luxembourg, said after a meeting of home affairs and interior ministers.
Leaders from across the 28-member bloc will meet in Brussels on Wednesday for further discussions on how to respond to the crisis.
Mr. Asselborn said even countries that voted against the distribution of asylum seekers — the Czech Republic, Hungary, Romania and Slovakia — must comply. “I have no doubt they will implement these decisions fully,” he said.
But with the prime minister of Slovakia immediately threatening to defy the plan, the outcome was more than an example of the bloc’s inability to coordinate its policies — formidable enough through the long crisis over the euro and Greece’s debt.
The response to the refugee crisis so far has also raised profound questions about a failure of European principles, a trembling of the pillars on which the bloc was founded more than 20 years ago.
The European Union’s reputation, and its faith in Brussels, have suffered in the past few months, with sharp and vocal divisions among member states and continuing doubts about Greek economic sustainability.
The migrant crisis “risks bursting the E.U. at its weak seams,” said Stefano Stefanini, a former senior Italian ambassador now based in Brussels. “It’s more dangerous than the Greek drama and more serious than the euro, because it challenges fundamental European accomplishments and beliefs.”
With Tuesday’s vote, he said, “the cleavages only get deeper.”
BONUS: At the Los Angeles Times, "Refugee crisis exposes a deep divide in European Union."
Jackie Johnson's Got Your Last Day of Summer Forecast
Last day of summer today and the heat makes a comeback!
Here's the lovely Ms. Johnson, for CBS News 2 Los Angeles:
Here's the lovely Ms. Johnson, for CBS News 2 Los Angeles:
Roman Catholic Church Rises and Falls on Tides of Immigration
This is fascinating.
At the New York Times, "Pope Francis to Find a Church in Upheaval":
RELATED: At the Los Angeles Times, "Latino influence on Catholic Church is a backdrop to Pope Francis' visit."
At the New York Times, "Pope Francis to Find a Church in Upheaval":
MERCED, Calif. — More than 5,000 parishioners packed the pews, the choir loft and the vestibule on a recent weekend at Sacred Heart Church here in California’s Central Valley for five Masses — four of them in Spanish. Young Hispanic families spilled outside onto the steps, straining to hear the homily over the roar of an elevated freeway across the street.More.
Across the country in Philadelphia, there is only one weekend Mass now at Our Lady Help of Christians, a church built by and for German immigrants in 1898. The clock in its tower has stopped. The parochial school next door is closed. Only 53 worshipers, most of them with white hair, gathered for Mass on a recent Sunday in the soaring Gothic sanctuary.
The Roman Catholic Church that Pope Francis will encounter on his first visit to the United States is being buffeted by immense change, and it is struggling — with integrating a new generation of immigrants, with conflicts over buildings and resources, with recruiting priests and with retaining congregants. The denomination is still the largest in the United States, but its power base is shifting.
On the East Coast and in the Midwest, bishops are closing or merging parishes and shuttering parochial schools built on the dimes and sweat of generations of European immigrants. In many parishes, worshipers are sparse, funerals outnumber baptisms, and Sunday collections are not enough to maintain even beloved houses of worship.
In the West and the South, and in some other unexpected pockets all over the country, the church is bursting at the seams with immigrants, mostly from Mexico and Latin America, but also from Asia and Africa. Hispanic parents put their children on waiting lists for religious education classes and crowd into makeshift worship spaces, but avoid predominantly Anglo parishes because they do not always feel welcome there.
“The ethnic face of the church is changing, and the center of gravity and influence in the church is shifting from the East to the West, and from the North to the South,” Archbishop José H. Gómez of Los Angeles said...
RELATED: At the Los Angeles Times, "Latino influence on Catholic Church is a backdrop to Pope Francis' visit."
Best Sellers in Politics and Social Sciences
At Amazon, Best Sellers in Politics & Social Sciences.
Listed there is David Horowitz, Take No Prisoners: The Battle Plan for Defeating the Left.
Listed there is David Horowitz, Take No Prisoners: The Battle Plan for Defeating the Left.
Killing Reagan
It's Bill O'Reilly's new book, out this week.
At Amazon, Killing Reagan: The Violent Assault That Changed a Presidency.
At Amazon, Killing Reagan: The Violent Assault That Changed a Presidency.
Daniel Thompson, Inventor of First Bagel-Making Machine, Dies at 94
This is an extremely interesting obituary.
I had blueberry bagels today, heh.
At the Los Angeles Times, "Daniel Thompson dies at 94; his invention made bagel a household word."
I had blueberry bagels today, heh.
At the Los Angeles Times, "Daniel Thompson dies at 94; his invention made bagel a household word."
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