FORT OGLETHORPE, Ga. — Just down the road from where Union troops suffered their worst defeat of the Civil War, Jeff Epperson sang the praises of his congressman, Representative Tom Graves, whose Defund Obamacare Act set the table for the partial government shutdown.Shoot, Ima move to Georgia. Damn, them thar's some conservative voters.
Even though business has been slow at Mr. Epperson’s sword and knife shop since tourists stopped visiting the historic Chickamauga battlefield, which closed on Tuesday because of the furlough of federal workers in the shutdown, he said the only thing that would weaken his support for Mr. Graves would be if the congressman caved in now. In that case, he might vote for a more conservative choice in the next Republican primary.
“If he backs off, then I would say absolutely I’d be inclined to look for someone else,” said Mr. Epperson, whose store flew a Don’t Tread on Me flag.
The Republican insistence in the House on tying financing of the federal government to dismantling the Affordable Care Act is being driven by a deeply conservative caucus from places like Mr. Graves’s 14th Congressional District, newly created by Georgia’s Republican-controlled Legislature.
Even as Republican elders warn that the party is risking a voter backlash that could cost it in future elections, interviews here indicate that hard-liners like Mr. Graves have more to fear, if they waver, from a potential challenger to their right.
Mr. Graves, 43, won 73 percent of the vote in November in a district that is 85 percent white and has a 16.6 percent college graduation rate. A journey through the district, which stretches from the exurbs of Atlanta to the northwest mountains on the Tennessee border, found many voters who, even if they were unfamiliar with Mr. Graves’s biography, strongly supported him.
“He represents the people,” said Tim Ferguson, a forklift operator who was waiting for a haircut at Paul’s Barber Shop in Calhoun. “He’s not going to commit political suicide by backing down.”
Voters here viewed the Washington stalemate just as Mr. Graves and many of his party members in Congress portray it: a tale of Republicans who have repeatedly shown a willingness to compromise, while Democrats petulantly refuse to meet halfway.
“Obama should not be so dogmatic,” said Julia Welch, 82, who runs an antiques store in Dallas, the seat of Paulding County. “He wants his way and no other.”
Jon Tripcony, a surveyor in Dallas, recalled a photograph of Republican leaders in shirt sleeves facing empty seats across a table. The photo, which Mr. Graves posted on Twitter, was staged to dramatize Republicans’ call for Democrats to discuss a budget passed by the House. It may have been dismissed as a publicity stunt by much of the news media, which noted that House Republicans repeatedly refused to join a conference on a budget the Senate passed earlier. But in northwest Georgia it was taken at face value.
“There was not one single Democrat,” Mr. Tripcony said. “They’re just spoiled little kids. I don’t get it.”
Mr. Ferguson, 48, said House conservatives should not shrink from the next fiscal deadline, raising the debt ceiling, even if it means defaulting on government bonds, a prospect that economists overwhelmingly say would bring down catastrophe.
“If it has to happen for the American people to get what’s best, defunding Obamacare, so be it,” Mr. Ferguson said. “Our credit rating’s going to go down, but it went down before. Did the apocalypse come?”
The number of hard-line House conservatives is estimated from two dozen to as many as the 80 who signed a letter to Speaker John A. Boehner demanding that he tie financing the government to defunding the Affordable Care Act, which he had initially ruled out. Their politics are shaped less by the national picture for Republicans, who have lost five of the last six popular votes for president, than by the demographics of districts like this one that were drawn by conservative legislatures after the 2010 census to ensure safe Republican seats.
That the president, who lost Mr. Graves’s district by 49 percentage points last November, is unpopular was no surprise. But the level of animosity from some was acute. He was compared to a tyrant preparing to end constitutional democracy, as in Germany in the 1930s. Peggy Newsome, 73, who was picking up bags of groceries at the Paulding County Helping Hands food bank, said, “Everything he’s put his hands on, he’s screwed up.”
Saturday, October 5, 2013
In Georgia, Urging Republicans to Stand Strong
U.S. Navy SEALs Stage Raid on Shabab Militants in Somalia
#BREAKING: U.S. Navy SEALs raid al-Shabab leader's Somalia home in response to Nairobi attack: http://t.co/QCrUTAJaIl
— Washington Post (@washingtonpost) October 5, 2013
Also at NYT, "U.S. Says Navy SEALs Stage Raid on Somali Militants." (Via Memeorandum.)
'Gravity' — Between Earth and Heaven
“Life in space is impossible.” That stark statement of scientific fact is one of the first things to appear on screen in “Gravity,” but before long, it is contradicted, or at least complicated. As our eyes (from behind 3-D glasses) adjust to the vast darkness, illuminated by streaks of sunlight refracted through the Earth’s atmosphere, we detect movement that is recognizably human and hear familiar voices. Those tiny figures bouncing around on that floating contraption — it looks like a mobile suspended from a child’s bedroom ceiling — are people. Scientists. Astronauts. Movie stars. (Sandra Bullock and George Clooney in spacesuits, as Mission Specialist Ryan Stone and Mission Commander Matt Kowalski; Ed Harris, unseen and unnamed, as “Houston” down below).Continue reading.
The defiance of impossibility is this movie’s theme and its reason for being. But the main challenge facing the director, Alfonso Cuarón (who wrote the script with his son Jonás), is not visualizing the unimaginable so much as overcoming the audience’s assumption that we’ve seen it all before. After more than 50 years, space travel has lost some of its luster, and movies are partly to blame for our jadedness. It has been a long time since a filmmaker conjured the awe of “2001: A Space Odyssey” or the terror of “Alien” or captured afresh the spooky wonder of a trip outside our native atmosphere.
Joseph Stalin's Comeback
More on that later.
Meanwhile, at WSJ, "Statue of Limitations Runs Out for Keeping Stalin Off His Pedestal: Hometown to Resurrect Bronze of Dictator, Move It to Museum; Mugs, T-Shirts, Vodka":
GORI, Georgia—Under cover of darkness here three years ago, municipal workers tore down a giant statue of this ramshackle town's most famous son: Joseph Stalin.Continue reading.
The 20-foot-high bronze sculpture of the former Soviet dictator, which stood on a 30-foot pedestal in Gori's central square for six decades, was dumped face down in an abandoned airfield 13 miles away. Georgia's government said the statue would be "consigned to the dustbin of history" and permanently removed from public display.
Now, "Uncle Joe" is poised for a controversial comeback.
Local officials this summer won approval from a Tbilisi court to resurrect the bronze ode to the man of steel, after petitioning Georgia's new government, which favors healing ruptured ties with Russia. The decision will see the statue restored on the grounds of Gori's Stalin Museum in time for his birthday on Dec. 21. The move has rekindled a decadeslong debate about the legacy of a man whose name has become synonymous with institutionalized brutality and oppression.
Many people are horrified in Georgia, a former Soviet state turned U.S. ally that boasts one of the world's only avenues named after George W. Bush. President Mikhail Saakashvili said the decision was "an unimaginably barbaric anti-Georgian, anti-national, anti-state act," that would place Georgia "in international isolation." But the former dictator's resurrection has been welcomed by many other Georgians and cheered in his hometown, where the Stalinist cult of personality remains intact.
"Uncle Joe's" cult of personality.
Kinda like "Uncle Barry's" cult of personality. Lots of people cheer this stuff, otherwise you'd never see a return to respectability of one of the 20th century's most brutal mass murderers.
Never say "it couldn't happen here." It's already happening with the Democrat Party's statist-totalitarian agenda.
Veterans Resist Closure of Memorials
And Legal Insurrection, "Battle of the Barrycades – Vets storm Vietnam Memorial, U.S Park Police called in."
Heading to WWII Memorial. Word is the gate is wired shut. "We're going to tear that damn thing down!" H. Obland, vet pic.twitter.com/mIASWbrFA3
— Elias Johnson (@ejohnsonNEWS) October 5, 2013
Via Memeorandum.
Dee Gordon Was Safe at Second in #Dodgers' Game 2 Loss in #NLDS
Actually, it could have gone either way.
See, "Dee Gordon stolen base attempt looms large in Dodgers' loss."
Got a lot of great GIFs out of it, in any case. See, "Dee Gordon called out on controversial stolen base attempt."
Plus, more Dodgers news at LAT, "Dodgers' Dee Gordon insists he was safe on stolen base attempt." And, "Splitting is a headache for the Dodgers."
Is Baseball Still the National Pastime?
To the Editor:More at the link.
Jonathan Mahler, in “Is the Game Over?” (Sunday Review, Sept. 29), seems to confuse the status of Major League Baseball with the standing of the game of baseball in American society.
While he correctly observes that professional baseball is enjoying good times even as television ratings fall far behind professional and collegiate football and basketball, he doesn’t mention more important barometers of baseball’s continuing vitality and popularity among the American people.
These include the millions of boys and girls who join thousands of youth, scholastic, collegiate and American Legion baseball teams, along with the men and women who play baseball and softball in industrial and semiprofessional urban and rural leagues, and the continuing interest in the history and cultural meaning of baseball, as measured by the sale of baseball books, the popularity of baseball films like “The Natural” and “Field of Dreams,” and the public’s continuing fascination with the origins of the sport.
Major League Baseball may indeed rank a poor third to football and basketball in television ratings, but the game remains the national pastime because it resonates more deeply in the country’s soul than any other sport.
GEORGE B. KIRSCH
Hackensack, N.J., Sept. 29, 2013
The writer is the author of “Baseball and Cricket: The Creation of American Team Sports: 1838-72” and “Baseball in Blue and Gray: The National Pastime During the Civil War.”
Cal Worthington, 1920-2013
At the Los Angeles Times, "Cal Worthington dies at 92; car dealer known for wacky 'dog Spot' ads'."
Strip Search After DUI Arrest?
At WJLA News 7 Washington D.C., "Dana Holmes sues Illinois police, alleges humiliating strip search."
'Your kids will meditate in school...'
See the Los Angeles Times, "Brown signs bill to allow children more than two legal parents."
Megyn Kelly Returns to Fox News
A great lady.
Sarah Michelle Gellar
Mountain Lion P-22
Friday, October 4, 2013
#Dodgers Lose Game 2 of #NLDS
Say Hey! We have ourselves a series. http://t.co/VDl2a8Brjv #NLDS pic.twitter.com/uF2NDrU6Ch
— MLB (@MLB) October 5, 2013
One day after almost everything went right for the Dodgers, precious little did.Continue reading.
They received a strong outing from Zack Greinke and Hanley Ramirez had three extra-base hits, but otherwise little fell into place Friday in their 4-3 loss in Game 2 of their National League division series with the Atlanta Braves at Turner Field.
The Atlanta victory evened the best-of-five series at a game apiece. Game 3 is scheduled Sunday at Dodger Stadium.
The Dodgers could never come up with the big hit Friday, bouncing into three key double plays. And then there were the seven runners left on base and managerial decisions by Don Mattingly that largely seemed to backfire.
Greinke pitched well, but left trailing 2-1 after six innings.
The Braves wanted to turn this series into a battle of bullpens, and despite giving up a two-run homer to Ramirez in the eighth, their bullpen was the difference.
Here's an inning-by-inning recap of Game 2...
Santa Ana Winds Warning
At one point, around 2:00pm, the 5 Freeway nearly came to a stop as leaves from roadside trees were shaken down onto the highway.
At LAT, "Santa Ana winds: Red flag warnings issued across Southland," and "Santa Ana winds batter Southern California; fire danger high."
Teen Predator Kaitlyn Hunt Accepts Plea Deal
The Sun-Sentinel report continues the "innocent little Kate" propaganda.
And also at the Other McCain, "Thug Family Values: Kaitlyn Hunt Plea Deal Prompts Bitter Rant by Her Father."
Plus, "Kaitlyn Hunt’s Father Threatens Violence: ‘F–king Beat Him Till He Can’t Function’," and "When ‘Balanced’ Journalism Is Bad."
Võ Nguyên Giáp,1911–2013
An obituary at the New York Times, "Gen. Võ Nguyên Giáp, Who Ousted U.S. From Vietnam, Is Dead":
Vo Nguyen Giap, the relentless and charismatic North Vietnamese general whose campaigns drove both France and the United States out of Vietnam, died on Friday in Hanoi. He was believed to be 102.An "implacable enemy."
The death was reported by several Vietnamese news organizations, including the respected Tuoi Tre Online, which said he had died in an army hospital.
General Giap was among the last survivors of a generation of Communist revolutionaries who in the decades after World War II freed Vietnam of colonial rule and fought a superpower to a stalemate. In his later years, he was a living reminder of a war that was mostly old history to the Vietnamese, many of whom were born after it had ended.
But he had not faded away. He was regarded as an elder statesman whose hard-line views had softened with the cessation of the war that unified Vietnam. He supported economic reform and closer relations with the United States while publicly warning of the spread of Chinese influence and the environmental costs of industrialization.
To his American adversaries, however, from the early 1960s to the mid-1970s, he was perhaps second only to his mentor, Ho Chi Minh, as the face of a tenacious, implacable enemy. And to historians, his willingness to sustain staggering losses against superior American firepower was a large reason the war dragged on as long as it did, costing more than 2.5 million lives — 58,000 of them American — sapping the United States Treasury and Washington’s political will to fight, and bitterly dividing the country in an argument about America’s role in the world that still echoes today.
Well, perhaps he was in the 1960s. The Democrat Party today would be hugging the dude, talking about global Communism's threat to America reflects some terrible --- terrible! --- "misunderstanding."
More at that top link.
Vicious Obama #Democrats and Risks of #Shutdown
Here's the lead story at Memeorandum right now, from WSJ, "White House's Hard Line on Shutdown, Debt Ceiling Has Risks Attached":
The two quotes from Washington today that all Americans should be aware of. pic.twitter.com/MAYDzNOR1Q
— Kathleen McKinley (@KatMcKinley) October 4, 2013
President Barack Obama is sticking to his stance that he won't negotiate with Republicans over the government shutdown or the higher-stakes fight over the federal debt ceiling.Also at Legal Insurrection, "Democrats trapped by their seething hatred of Tea Party."
The question, for Republicans and White House allies alike: How long will that resolve last?
Mr. Obama spoke Thursday at a construction company just outside Washington and held fast to his view that Republicans must not attach conditions to bills that underpin the functioning of government.
"There is one way out," he said: Republicans must relent and reopen the government.
White House officials believe they have the upper hand, citing evidence that some Republicans are buckling under public pressure. Mr. Obama invited the four congressional leaders to the Oval Office Wednesday, and despite the show of engagement made no concessions, according to people familiar with the meeting.
House Speaker John Boehner (R., Ohio) left the White House and said Mr. Obama "reiterated one more time tonight that he will not negotiate."
Terry Holt, a longtime Republican strategist, said Mr. Obama's strategy rests on a cold-eyed calculation that Republicans are the ones with the most to lose. "As long as the president thinks his poll numbers are going to be good, I don't expect the government to reopen," he said.
Said a senior administration official: "We are winning...It doesn't really matter to us" how long the shutdown lasts "because what matters is the end result."
White House allies, however, say a long shutdown could make the White House's position less tenable. Mr. Obama is the most visible symbol of the U.S. government, they say, and will inevitably share in the blame as hardships mount and people weary of the infighting.
Already, the shutdown has produced images of inconvenience, lost pay, and disruptions in wedding and vacation plans. The Republican National Committee has offered to cover the cost of keeping open the World War II memorial for the next month after a group of veterans toured the site even though it was closed due to the shutdown.
"To the extent that any blame washes onto the Democrats and the president, it's going to be from the sense that this town is just completely dysfunctional and it's everybody's fault," said Matt Bennett, senior vice president of Third Way, a center-left think tank.
Brendan Buck, a spokesman for Mr. Boehner, said: "Ultimately, politics in Washington is a reflection of the president's leadership. People expect their president to be the grown-up in the room, and he's not even in the room."
Mr. Obama said Thursday people should resist the impulse to blame both sides equally.
Scores Die as Migrant Ship Capsizes Near Italy's Shore
ROME — Having floated for at least two days in the choppy Mediterranean Sea to reach Europe, a rickety trawler overstuffed with African migrants fleeing war and poverty was nearing a Sicilian island, not even a quarter-mile away. But it was still dark and no one had yet spotted them. So to signal their position, someone set a match to a blanket.Plus, "Italy Suspends Search for Shipwreck Victims."
But rather than sending a signal, the fire brought tragedy when flames from the burning blanket ignited gasoline. Nearly 500 people are estimated to have been on board — including children — and the blaze created a panic that capsized the boat. So close to reaching land, the migrants were now tossed into the sea. Many could not swim.
The accident, which occurred before dawn on Thursday within easy eyesight of the island of Lampedusa, is one of the worst in recent memory in the Mediterranean: at least 111 people were reported dead, with up to 250 still missing. At least 150 others survived, and Italy’s Coast Guard was continuing to search for more survivors.
The grisly deaths again underscored the dangerous, desperate efforts by many migrants from Africa and the Middle East to reach Europe by sea, while also renewing criticism of European immigration policy. Immigration is a politically volatile issue in Europe, so much so that Greece recently completed a nearly eight-mile fence blocking its border with Turkey, an attempt to shut down a major land migration route.
But some experts say that making it harder to slip into Europe by land has only pushed many migrants to try the more perilous route by sea. With conflicts raging in the Middle East and Africa, the number of asylum seekers and migrants arriving by boat in Spain and Italy has spiked this year. According to statistics released by Save the Children, 21,780 migrants reached Italy during the first nine months of this year, including 4,000 children.
Lampedusa, an Italian island barely 70 miles from northern Africa, has become a gateway to Europe for migrants. In some seasons, boats filled with migrants and asylum seekers arrive almost daily.
Pope Francis, who visited the island in July to draw attention to the plight of migrants, expressed sadness and outrage over Thursday’s fatal accident.
“The word disgrace comes to me,” the pope said during an audience, calling for prayers on behalf of the dead and their families. “Let us unite our efforts so that similar tragedies do not happen again. Only a decided collaboration among all can help to stop them.”
For Italy, the flow of migrants across the Mediterranean has become an enormous operational and humanitarian challenge. Italian Coast Guard boats are sent almost daily on dangerous rescue missions. Migrants assume huge risks to reach Europe and pay thousands of dollars to smugglers and middlemen, often in Turkey, Egypt and Libya. The smugglers load people onto a large boat for a trip into Italian waters. There, the migrants are usually transferred to smaller boats, some barely seaworthy, and left to float in the current. Then the smugglers flee back to Africa.
It was unclear if the migrants in Thursday’s accident were delivered by smugglers and then transferred to a smaller boat, or if they made the entire journey from Libya in the same trawler. It did seem clear, though, that they were completely unprepared.
Woman Killed in Capitol Hill Chase Was Fixated on President Obama
At LAT, "Woman shot in D.C. chase had fixation on President Obama":
WASHINGTON -- The woman shot to death after a police chase from the White House to Capitol Hill had been suffering from mental health issues, according to federal law enforcement officials, including postpartum depression after her daughter was born and a troubling fixation on President Obama.Also at Expose Liberals, "Miriam Carey Facebook page and profile."
Miriam Carey’s declining mental stability, the sources said, developed into a belief that the president was “controlling" her life, which may explain why she appeared Thursday afternoon next to the White House and then led Secret Service agents and Washington police on a two-mile, three-minute chase down Pennsylvania Avenue. Along the way, two officers were injured.
"She thought that the president had her apartment under surveillance," Rep. Michael McCaul (R-Texas), chairman of the House Committee on Homeland Security, told the Los Angeles Times. "That must have prompted her trip to Washington and her attempt to visit the White House."
Carey’s sister, Amy, told CNN’s Anderson Cooper on Friday, "We will never know what Miriam was thinking in those last hours before she died. We can only speculate."
She said her sister experienced postpartum depression "with psychosis … which came along with treatment and medication and counseling…. She had her challenges as a new parent. I am a parent. I have two children. … There was nothing out of the ordinary. She didn’t appear to be unstable."
But Amy Carey also asked, "Was there some other way that she could have been helped so it didn’t end tragically?”
McCaul said, however, that the police "didn’t really have much of a choice, given the way she was driving."
"At the time, they don’t know who she is, what her motivation is," he said. "When I talk to the FBI or Secret Service, they’re just amazed that she could drive at 80 mph down Pennsylvania Avenue and not hit a car…. When you’re traveling like that, and you’re erratic … there’s plenty of pedestrians that could be killed.
"Plus, the threat to the White House raises the stakes. And then this car was seen around the Capitol grounds. That raises the stakes even higher."
And from yesterday at Twitchy, "Reports: All shots fired by police; Pathetic lefties continue to blame NRA and Tea Party."
Plus, "But of course! Actress Nancy Lee Grahn uses Capitol shooting to smear House GOP," and "Vile haters wish Ted Cruz and Tea Partiers were shot during the Capitol Hill lockdown."
Lying Democrat Liar Chad Henderson Not 'Enrolled' in #ObamaCare
I found one!! Meet Chad Henderson, who has in fact bought health insurance on the federal marketplace. http://t.co/HOoxbcOsAL
— Sarah Kliff (@sarahkliff) October 3, 2013
Seriously. It's like her first orgasm.
This idiot Henderson's become a celebrity overnight, although as always with the leftist-Democrat-state media, it's all a lie.
First of all, the idiot's an OFA activist and local Democrat Party club leader. See Ed Morrissey, "What a coincidence: Single ObamaCare success story is … OFA volunteer."
And now today it turns out that the dude's dad was interviewed saying that Chad in fact hadn't enrolled in a healthcare program yesterday. It was all a scam.
See Twitchy, "MSM enablers promote lying liar’s Obamacare fable, fail to issue corrections."
Ms. Kliff has updated:
And so the saga continues: Spoke with Chad Henderson again, confirms he hasn't bought coverage, argues he didn't lie. http://t.co/dylVMmhXl1
— Sarah Kliff (@sarahkliff) October 4, 2013
Check Memeorandum for more.
And note that Henderson did in fact lie:
enrolled in #Obamacare just now! Looking forward to having affordable healthcare for the first time! @newschannelnine @WRCB @TimesFreePress
— Chad Henderson (@ChadHenderson) October 1, 2013
Heidi Klum Blast From the Past
Blast from the past: Remember this shoot 4 @VictoriasSecret w the amazing Dominique Issermann! pic.twitter.com/eQaMn6GpXC
— Heidi Klum (@heidiklum) October 4, 2013
Clayton Kershaw Strikes Out 12 in NLDS Opener in Atlanta
The Dodgers cruised to an easy win over the Braves, surprisingly easy. I hope they do it again today.
At LAT, "Dodgers' ace trumps Braves in postseason opener, 6-1":
Feat of Clay: Kershaw guides @Dodgers to commanding Game 1 win in Atlanta. http://t.co/zQvWcfYEgo #NLDS pic.twitter.com/wHJUUoS1p5
— MLB (@MLB) October 4, 2013
ATLANTA — If Clayton Kershaw continues to pitch the way he did Thursday night, the long-term contract to which the Dodgers intend to sign him this winter could cost them even more than they expect.Also at AJC, "Kershaw strikes out 12 as Braves, Medlen lose Game 1."
That's fine with minority owner Magic Johnson, who was at Turner Field to watch Kershaw overcome early control problems to lead the Dodgers to a 6-1 victory over the Atlanta Braves in Game 1 of their best-of-five National League division series.
"We already know we have to give him a lot of money," Johnson said. "What's a few more zeros?"
Backed by five runs in the first four innings, Kershaw earned his first career playoff victory by limiting the Braves to a run and three hits over seven innings.
His 12 strikeouts were the most by a Dodgers pitcher in a postseason game since Sandy Koufax struck out 15 New York Yankees in Game 1 of the 1963 World Series.
The most incredible aspect of the performance was that Kershaw couldn't throw the ball where he wanted.
"It was more fastball command than anything," Kershaw said.
He threw 19 pitches in the first inning, which included a 10-pitch at-bat by Justin Upton. He threw 77 pitches through four innings and 91 through five. He walked three batters.
"That was our game plan," Braves Manager Fredi Gonzalez said. "Make him pitch a little bit. When you look up and you see 77 pitches in the fourth inning, you feel like you have a chance. But he is what he is. He turned it up the next three or four innings and we didn't really get good swings at him."
Once Kershaw gained a feel for his curveball in the fifth inning, the Braves were finished.
Kershaw struck out nine of the last 11 batters he faced, including six in a row in one stretch.
"As soon as we got on the same page and figured out the off-speed pitch, that was the ticket," catcher A.J. Ellis said. "Those fifth, sixth and seventh innings, he rolled through and got all those strikeouts. That was amazing."
Thursday, October 3, 2013
Tom Clancy, 1947-2013
At the New York Times, "Tom Clancy, Best-Selling Master of Military Thrillers, Dies at 66":
Mr. Clancy’s debut book, “The Hunt for Red October,” was frequently cited as one of the greatest genre novels ever written. With the book’s publication in 1984, Mr. Clancy introduced a new kind of potboiler: an espionage thriller dense with technical details about weaponry, submarines and intelligence agencies.I read a few of Clancy's works, but nothing compared to "The Hunt for Red October."
It found an eager readership. More than 100 million copies of his novels are in print, and a remarkable 17 have reached No. 1 on the New York Times’s best-seller list, including “Threat Vector,” released last December. Prolific until his death, Mr. Clancy had been awaiting publication of his next book, “Command Authority,” set for Dec. 3.
The impact of his books has been felt far beyond the publishing world. Some were adapted by Hollywood and became blockbusters starring Harrison Ford, Alec Baldwin and Ben Affleck as Mr. Clancy’s hero protagonist, Jack Ryan. Mr. Clancy arranged for his thrillers to be turned into video games that were so realistic, the military licensed them for training. And on television, fast-paced espionage using high-tech tools in the Clancy mold found a place in popular shows like “24” and “Homeland.”
First saw the news of his death yesterday on Twitter. I was a little shocked.
Britney Spears' 'Work Bitch' Video
At London's Daily Mail, "Hit me baby one more time! Britney Spears dons leather underwear as she wields a whip in racy bondage-inspired new video for Work B****."
Obama: Petty, Petulant, and Puerile
Cursing political opponents will do Obama no good and smacks of arrogance and desperation from a White House that has lost its grip on reality. The legacy of President Obama will be the relentless rise of big government and a large expansion of government dependency, the strangling of economic freedom, a huge increase in the national debt, and the implementation of hated health care reforms that carry with them a $1.85 trillion price tag. The Obama presidency will also be remembered for its bitter partisanship, and its relentless vilification of political opponents, emanating from an administration that would rather engage with a terrorist sponsoring regime in the Middle East than talk to elected US lawmakers three miles down the road.RTWT.
S.E. Cupp Loves Her Some Ted Cruz
Wednesday, October 2, 2013
State Governments Reduced to Lying About #ObamaCare Rollout
MAJOR: 5 million hits at Calif's Obamacare exchange? Nope. CA officials are RETRACTING that. Real number: 645,000 http://t.co/fYiiO5tslX
— Maeve Reston (@MaeveReston) October 3, 2013
And more great news for the idiot Dems at London's Daily Mail, "EXCLUSIVE: Less than 1 per cent of Web visitors are signing up for Obamacare on some state health exchange websites."
Charges Dropped Against One Suspect in New York Biker Road Rage Beating
Background here, "Bikers terrorize a family in a high-speed chase on the West Side Highway."
More at Metro, "Police make headway in bike gang assault investigation." And, "Lawrence biker paralyzed in New York road rage incident."
And video at ABC News, "Bikers Attack Driver After Accident: Caught on Tape."
#HeartlessHarry
DANA BASH: But if you can help one child who has cancer, why wouldn’t you do it?And from the GOP conference, #HeartlessHarry.
HARRY REID: Why would we want to do that? I have 1,100 people at Nellis Air Force base that are sitting home. They have a few problems of their own. This is — to have someone of your intelligence to suggest such a thing maybe means you’re irresponsible and reckless –
BASH: I’m just asking a question.
Shadow Speaker Jim DeMint
At Business Week, "Jim DeMint, Congressional Republicans' Shadow Speaker":
When most Americans look at Washington, they see a broken Congress, riven by partisanship and lurching from crisis to crisis. While the hostility between Republicans and Democrats is indeed severe, it isn’t the real reason the engine of government keeps seizing up. What’s causing the malfunction is a battle within the GOP over how to return the party to its former glory after two consecutive losses to Obama and setbacks in the House and Senate. It’s a fight that pits uncompromising, Heritage-style conservatives against more cautious Republican elders. What makes it so contentious is that both sides have radically different—and mutually exclusive—ideas about how to move forward.Continue reading.
This struggle heats up each time a major budget deadline approaches, and two huge ones loom in the days ahead: There’s the Sept. 30 government funding deadline and then, sometime in late October, the Department of the Treasury will reach the limit of its borrowing capacity and default unless Congress raises the debt ceiling. In crises precipitated by similar deadlines, Republican leaders have always managed to keep their party together—or at least keep it from coming apart.
That will be much harder this time. While Boehner and the GOP leadership want mainly to navigate safe passage through the budget deadlines, DeMint and his cohort see the deadlines as crucial tests of party resolve and a key to the Republican resurgence they envision. DeMint views the impulse to avoid confrontation as the root of Republican woes: Only by engineering grand clashes and then standing resolutely on the side of small government can Republicans win this existential struggle.
“If I were speaker, I’d tell the president, ‘Mr. President, we funded the government, but we’re not going to fund your bill,’ ” says DeMint, who likes to make his point by acting out imagined confrontations. “ ‘We are not going to give in—one month, two months, three months. We are never going to give in. It’s just that important.’ And if the president wants to put the country through that to save a law that isn’t ready to go, well, then that’s a battle we have to have.”
When DeMint quit the Senate mid-term, it came as something of a shock in Washington, because a high-profile senator is presumed to have more power than a think tank president. There was plenty of snickering that he was cashing in: Heritage paid his predecessor more than $1 million last year. (The group won’t comment on DeMint’s salary.)
DeMint says he was just fed up. When he was first elected to Congress in 1998, insurrection wasn’t his goal. “I came to Washington as a businessman,” he says, “served six years in the House as a team player. Didn’t cause trouble. I was a policy nerd, introduced Social Security reform, tax reforms, all kinds of health-care reforms.” In 2005 he moved up to the Senate, where he began to lose patience with what he viewed as his party’s lack of commitment to first principles. “We had a lot of people who were great pretenders, talked real big about being conservatives,” he says. “But behind closed doors, they were driving the ball in the opposite direction.”
Barry-cades Hurting Democrats
@SenatorReid Wrong, jerkoff. It's yours and Obama's. Own it, you evil little man
— JWF (@JammieWF) October 2, 2013
Even Clinton didn't cut off veterans care and barricade unstaffed memorials in the hopes of creating pain. Democrats are curbstomping vets.
— Rep. Steve Stockman (@SteveWorks4You) October 2, 2013
More, "Obama Orders WWII Memorial Blocked."
Republicans More Insulated Against Backlash
Resolving the serial showdowns over the federal budget and debt ceiling may be more difficult now than during the last shutdown under Bill Clinton and Newt Gingrich because so many more House Republicans today represent safely GOP districts, a National Journal analysis has found.Republicans should stay firm, although I'm inclined to agree with Laura Ingraham.
This suggests that even if a public backlash develops against a shutdown or potential government default, Republican members may be far more insulated against those gales than their counterparts were during the two shutdowns in the winter of 1995 and 1996. Today's GOP legislators, for the same reason, also may be less sensitive to shifts in public attitudes that could threaten their party's national image or standing in more closely contested parts of the country.
Comparing today's 232-seat Republican majority with the 236 seats Republicans ultimately held after special elections and party switches from 1995-96 underscores the extent to which GOP legislators have succeeded in fortifying themselves into homogeneously conservative districts. On every measure, Republicans today represent constituencies that lean more lopsidedly toward their party.
On average, Clinton in 1992 won 46.6 percent of the two-party presidential vote in the districts held by congressional Republicans during the 104th Congress from 1995-96. (That two-party calculation excludes the share carried by Ross Perot in his independent bid that year.) President Obama last year carried only an average of 40.4 percent of the two-party presidential vote in the districts held by the current Republican majority.
Back in 1995, 79 House Republicans represented districts that backed Clinton in the previous presidential election; just 17 House Republicans now represent districts that Obama won. Fewer Republicans now hold districts that fall into an even broader definition of competitiveness: In 1992, Republican President George H.W. Bush won 55 percent or less of the two-party presidential vote in 141 of the 236 House Republican districts. Now, only 71 House Republicans, roughly half as many, represent districts where 2012 nominee Mitt Romney won only 55 percent or less.
All of this means that the personal electoral incentives for most House Republicans would encourage more—not less—confrontation as the standoffs proceed, notes Gary C. Jacobson, an expert on Congress at the University of California (San Diego). "The electoral threat of them angering anybody outside of their base is pretty low," he says.
Countdown to Cave-In
'Glitches' Mar #ObamaCare Rollout
And at Politico, "President Obama: Expect months of 'glitches'."
IMAGE CREDIT: CLASH DAILY, "PRESIDENT GLITCH: Obama Says “Expect months of ‘glitches’ with Obamacare”."
The President's Shutdown
President Obama is sitting out one of the most important policy struggles since he entered the White House. With the government shutdown, it has reached the crisis stage. His statement about the shutdown on Tuesday from the White House Rose Garden was more a case of kibitzing than leading. He still refuses to take charge. He won't negotiate with Republicans, though the fate of ObamaCare, funding of the government and the future of the economic recovery are at stake. He insists on staying on the sidelines—well, almost.Continue reading.
Mr. Obama has rejected conciliation and compromise with Republicans. Instead, he attacks them in sharp, partisan language in speech after speech. His approach—dealing with a deadlock by not dealing with it—is unprecedented. He has gone where no president has gone before.
Can anyone imagine an American president—from Lyndon Johnson to Ronald Reagan, from Harry Truman to Bill Clinton—doing this? Of course not. They didn't see presidential leadership as optional. For them and nearly every other president, it was mandatory. It was part of the job, the biggest part.
LBJ kept in touch daily with Everett Dirksen, the Republican leader in the Senate, and never missed an opportunity to engage him in reaching agreement on civil rights, taxes, school construction and other contentious issues. Mr. Obama didn't meet one-on-one with Mitch McConnell, the Senate GOP leader, until 18 months into his presidency and doesn't call on him now to collaborate.
Presidents have two roles. In the current impasse, Mr. Obama emphasizes his partisan role as leader of the Democratic Party. It's a legitimate role. But as president, he's the only national leader elected by the entire nation. He alone represents all the people. And this second, nonpartisan role takes precedence in times of trouble, division or dangerous stalemate. A president is expected to take command. Mr. Obama hasn't done that.
The extent to which he has abdicated this role shows up in his speeches. On the eve of the shutdown, he warned that a government closure "will have a very real economic impact on real people, right away." Defunding or delaying his health-care program—the goal of Republicans—would have even worse consequences, he suggested. "Tens of thousands of Americans die every single year because they don't have access to affordable health care," Mr. Obama said.
In an appearance in the White House pressroom, he said that "military personnel—including those risking their lives overseas for us right now—will not get paid on time" should Republicans force a shutdown. At an appearance in Largo, Md., the president accused Republicans of "threatening steps that would actually badly hurt our economy . . . Even if you believe that ObamaCare somehow was going to hurt the economy, it won't hurt the economy as bad as a government shutdown."
Yet as he was predicting widespread suffering, Mr. Obama steadfastly refused to negotiate with Republicans. He told House Speaker John Boehner in a phone call that he wouldn't be talking to him anymore. With the shutdown hours away, he called Mr. Boehner again. He still didn't negotiate and said he wouldn't on the debt limit either.
Mr. Obama has made Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid his surrogate in the conflict with Republicans. Mr. Reid has also declined to negotiate. In fact, Politico reported that when the president considered meeting with Mr. Boehner and Mr. McConnell, along with the two Democratic congressional leaders, Mr. Reid said he wouldn't attend and urged Mr. Obama to abandon the idea. The president did just that....
Complete abdication --- of basic decency, much less presidential leadership.
Barack Hussein Obama: Worst. President. Ever.
Tuesday, October 1, 2013
Veterans Visit World War II Memorial Despite Shutdown
And at Twitchy, "World War II veterans knock down police barriers to attend memorial on the National Mall; Update: Did a congressman lead the vets through the barricade?; Update: Congressman says Obama administration knew about veterans’ request and rejected it."
More, at Legal Insurrection, "Obama and Dems declare political war on Veterans."
And from AoSHQ, "Obama Adminstration Specifically Denied Exception to Permit Veterans to Attend WWII Memorial."
Just 17 Percent Say #ObamaCare Will Help Them Personally
Naturally CNN tries to spin the positives in this survey, but the fact remains that only 37 percent of respondents say ObamaCare will help them, and 52 percent say that "the health insurance system created by Obamacare is a disaster waiting to happen..."
Yep, it's a majority clusterf-k alright.
IMAGE CREDIT: Heritage.
Climate of Uncertainty
Just read it all at the link.
Fast Approaching the Stage of Rule by Brute Force
And see Ayn Rand, "The Nature of Government":
The proper functions of a government fall into three broad categories, all of them involving the issues of physical force and the protection of men’s rights: the police, to protect men from criminals—the armed services, to protect men from foreign invaders—the law courts, to settle disputes among men according to objective laws.
These three categories involve many corollary and derivative issues—and their implementation in practice, in the form of specific legislation, is enormously complex. It belongs to the field of a special science: the philosophy of law. Many errors and many disagreements are possible in the field of implementation, but what is essential here is the principle to be implemented: the principle that the purpose of law and of government is the protection of individual rights.
Today, this principle is forgotten, ignored and evaded. The result is the present state of the world, with mankind’s retrogression to the lawlessness of absolutist tyranny, to the primitive savagery of rule by brute force.
Unmanned U.S. Commercial Cargo Ship Flies to International Space Station
And CSM, "Are we entering the age of private spaceflight?":
Two private American companies – SpaceX and Orbital Sciences – are now responsible for restocking the International Space Station.
Candice Swanepoel Close Up
And a little late with this announcement, but it's good, "2013 Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show to Air on December 10!"
It's a major cultural event these days. I'll have lots more...
The Pro-Democracy Case for Shutdowns
Elected representatives from both parties ought to break the shackles of fear-soaked propriety more often. So what if, most of the time, their push to defund will be dead on arrival? Establishment types will realize that shutdowns aren’t the horrorshows they dread. And Members of Congress will begin to understand that slavish devotion to party and budget orthodoxy serves neither their conscience nor their constituents.RTWT.
The best way to shake up our calcified government and two-party system is for individual Members to band together ad hoc — or alone, if need be — to try applying the power of the purse to legislation they truly, madly, and deeply cannot abide.
And yes: if our reps can’t tell the difference between budgetary resistance born of expediency and scheming instead of a sense of prudence and principle, there’s a strong pro-democracy case for throwing them out of office at the first available chance.
Wave of Car Bombings Across Iraq
At CSM, "Bombings across Iraq now touch on formerly safe havens":
A rash of car bombs killed dozens across Baghdad on Monday, the latest in a series of deadly bombings that have racked Iraq over the past several days. The violence has brought the country's civilian death toll to its worst level since 2008.More at WaPo, "Wave of bombings mainly in Shiite neighborhoods of Baghdad kills at least 55."
Al Jazeera reports that nine car bombs killed at least 24 people and wounded scores more, largely in the Iraqi capital's Shiite neighborhoods.
The bombs hit eight different areas on Monday, the deadliest blast tore through a small vegetable market and its car park, killing seven people including two soldiers and wounding sixteen others, a police officer said.Media reports put the casualty figures at a minimum of 24 dead and 75 wounded to at least 40 killed and more than 170 injured.
That was followed by four parked car bombs, which went off in quick succession in the neighbourhoods of New Baghdad, Habibiya, Sabaa al-Bour and Kazimiyah - all striking outdoor markets or car parks.
Monday's bombings follow several attacks over the weekend in Baghdad. On Sunday, a suicide bombing at a Shiite mosque in the city of Musayyib, about 50 miles south of Baghdad, left 47 dead. And the Kurdish city of Erbil, which had largely been devoid of the violence affecting the rest of the country, saw a series of bombings on Sunday that killed six security officers, according to Kurd news outlet Rudaw.
Although no one has claimed responsibility for the attacks in Baghdad, BBC News reports that "Sunni Muslim insurgents have been blamed for much of the most recent violence."
Monday, September 30, 2013
Harry Reid Rejects 11th Hour Compromise With Republicans – #BlameHarryReid
Senate Democratic leaders shortly before midnight rejected a House Republican request to appoint conferees to negotiate a short-term government-funding bill.And the GOP press conference earlier:
The move makes it all but certain there will be a government shutdown after midnight.
Also, at Legal Insurrection, "The culmination of Democratic dysfunction – #BlameHarryReid."
Added: The latest at the New York Times, "Senate Rejects House Demands to Curb Health Care Law."
British 'White Widow' Drenched Her Face in Blood to Elude Security in #Westgate Massacre
And considering this woman's background as a terror widow and jihad mastermind, smearing herself in blood may have been planned all along.
At the Belfast Telegraph, "White Widow Samantha Lewthwaite 'smeared face in blood to flee Nairobi terror mall'":
Samantha Lewthwaite, the Northern Ireland-born woman dubbed the 'White Widow', slipped out of the Kenyan shopping mall after smearing blood over her face, security sources in the country have said.More at that top link.
They also revealed how Lewthwaite, who was born in Co Down, rented a unit at the Westgate Shopping mall months ago in preparation for last week's terror killing spree.
She hung up newspapers around the shop unit to conceal what was going on inside, pretending to be stocking up on goods.
Staff have told police in Nairobi they helped a woman fitting the description of Samantha Lewthwaite lift boxes into the shop unit.
Witness accounts reveal a woman closely resembling the 29-year-old mother of three was seen being led away among panicked survivors, her face and upper clothes splashed with blood.
Interpol has issued a "red flag" international arrest warrant for Lewthwaite, based on intelligence that she led the attack and escaped.
Shocking stories about the brutalities inflicted by the terror gang are beginning to emerge. Children were among those deliberately killed and there are reports that an infant was decapitated and the head thrown at Kenyan soldiers during the four-day siege.
It is now believed Lewthwaite was the leader of the 13 to 17 terrorists who carried out the attack, but slipped away while the others were cornered by Kenyan soldiers.
The reports strongly contradict some of the impressions given last week that Lewthwaite was merely a book-keeper or finance raiser for the al-Qaeda-affiliated Somali group, Al Shabaab.
Kenyan police have been searching for Lewthwaite since it emerged she took up residence there in 2011 after spending three years living under false identities in South Africa. They believe she had already established links with the Somali terror group Al Shabaab and married one of its senior figures. Her second husband was shot dead in a police raid in Mombasa last October, according to sources.
The Kenyan police believe Lewthwaite, who was born in Banbridge, but was brought up in Buckinghamshire where she converted to Islam in her teens, was the prime mover behind the Westgate Shopping Mall attack, a key target for the Islamist terrorists because it is Israeli-owned.
The police named Lewthwaite as an Al-Shabaab member last June after arresting another British-born member of the group, Germaine Grant. They believe Grant was the terror group's financier working under Lewthwaite. The police believe Lewthwaite was behind an attempt to spring Grant from prison in Mombasa where he is currently on trial for terrorist offences.
The Kenyan police believe Lewthwaite may have married another Londoner, Habib Ghani, who also joined the terror group in Somalia.
Ghani and an another US-born member of the group, Omar Hammami, were both shot dead during internal feuding at the start of the month.
In June this year Lewthwaite was named by Kenyan police in connection with a grenade and gun attack on the Jericho Beer Garden in Mombas, while customers were watching a Euro 2012 quarter-final match, killing three and injuring 30.
Hat Tip: Blazing Cat Fur.
Shutdown Looms as Lawmakers Dig In
At WSJ, "Congress Struggles to Avoid Shutdown as Conservatives Target Health Law: Obama Decries 'Ransom'; House Advances Last-Ditch Proposal":
WASHINGTON—Congress struggled to resolve bitter divisions over spending and the health-care law late Monday as the U.S. government teetered on the brink of the first partial government shutdown in 17 years.More at that top link, and at Memeorandum.
House Speaker John Boehner (R., Ohio) on Monday afternoon advanced a last-ditch proposal—the third of its kind in less than a week—to curb the 2010 health-care law as a condition of funding the government.
Mr. Boehner's move resulted from pressure applied by his party's most-combative conservatives and made it harder than ever to see how Congress could come to agreement on a plan to fund federal agencies before a deadline of midnight Monday. Senate Democrats have rejected every effort by the House GOP to link new funding for federal agencies with efforts to limit the health law.
A House proposal headed for a vote Monday night would delay for one year the Affordable Care Act requirement that most individuals carry health insurance or pay a penalty. It also would limit government subsidies for lawmakers' own health-care premiums and those of their staffs.
President Barack Obama urged Republicans to back away from their plan, asking them to meet with him at another time to negotiate budget differences. "We should avoid this constant brinkmanship,'' Mr. Obama said at the White House.
Mr. Obama said it was a basic function of Congress to fund the government each year. "You don't extract a ransom for doing your job,'' he said.
A White House official said that Mr. Obama placed separate calls Monday evening to Mr. Boehner, as well as to Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell and House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi.
The showdown has laid bare the elements of the political system that have done much to alienate voters, highlighting the continual air of crisis that has come to surround the most routine tasks of governing. The convoluted jockeying on Capitol Hill has been over a seemingly simple budget measure—a short extension of money for agencies at their current funding levels.
Republican lawmakers decided to pursue their new funding proposal in a 90-minute meeting of the House GOP on Monday afternoon. Afterward, Mr. Boehner began moving toward a vote Monday night, just a few hours before the government was to run out of money at 12:01 a.m. EDT, the start of the new fiscal year.
But many GOP lawmakers emerged from the meeting saying it was unclear that the measure would pass the House. Some Republicans said it didn't do enough to curb the health law; others were concerned about the provision limiting government contributions to health-care costs for lawmakers, aides and some White House officials.
Some also had reservations about the strategy of risking a government shutdown to demand changes in the health-care law that Mr. Obama and fellow Democrats were sure to reject.
#Feminism and the Dilemma of Pubic Hair Humiliation
But now here's this, from Dina Rickman, at Telegraph UK, "Like it or not, we need to break the pubic hair taboo" (via Instapundit):
The personal is political. And there are few things more personal than your pubic hair. Whether you shave, trim, wax (ouch), epilate (while breathing deeply and after two glasses of wine) or go au naturel, it's a decision. And for young women like me in our twenties, it is one which provokes gut-wrenching anxiety, writes Dina Rickman.Oh brother.
It’s no wonder - we’re living in an era when leaving your pubic hair untamed is so unusual that ‘hairy’ has become a form of niche pornography. One male friend of mine recently boasted that he had never seen a woman with a full bush. Another, 24-year-old Adam, finds pubes so alien that he was unable to perform sexually the last time he was confronted with a hairy woman. “We just ended up cuddling,” he explains.
For him, part of the problem is porn. Adam believes it has “heightened expectations” of how a woman should look. “One of my friends once said 'I 100 per cent need to sleep with a girl before I go out with her. What if she's got a hairy bush?’ It's incredibly off putting. It doesn't take much effort to tame it. I manage to, so I don't think it's a lot to ask."
Sophie Bennett, campaigns officer at the women’s rights group, Object, also believes pornography has changed the landscape - and not for the better. “Because young men often learn about sex and women’s bodies in this way, many feel uncomfortable with women’s bodies as they naturally are”, she says. The result? Low self-esteem, anxiety, and confusion.
Sporting a full bush is considered so subversive that few raised an eyebrow last year when Cameron Diaz told the BBC's Graham Norton Show how she and two accomplices had pinned an anonymous friend to the ground and removed her pubic hair.
But there are the refuseniks, like Rachel, 26. It took her 12 years, two vajazzles and more waxes than it’s polite to mention before she decided she’d had enough. For her, it was about avoiding the hassle of hair removal as well as feminism. “Now, my pubes stick out of the sides of my swimming costume in the leisure centre, but I'd rather look like that than anything else.” As for how men react? “I think most guys are so delighted that they're about to get laid they wouldn't notice if you had a full-on Zach Galifianakis-style beard down there. But there are some men who are probably a little bit more picky and prefer the bald look.”...
More at the link.
But then again, don't miss Robert's commentary. It's hard out there for a refusenik.
Sunday, September 29, 2013
Boehner Attacks Senate 'Arrogance' as Deadline Approaches — #MakeDCListen
WASHINGTON–House Speaker John Boehner (R., Ohio) issued a statement blasting Democrats for not reconvening the Senate sooner, in the latest round of recriminations over a rapidly approaching government shutdown.Keep reading.
If the Senate reconvenes as planned Monday afternoon, Democrats will be engaging in an act of “breathtaking arrogance,” Mr. Boehner said in a written statement early Sunday afternoon.
Also, "Shutdown Nears After House Vote."
Norah O'Donnell Interview with Bill O'Reilly
Ima try and watch it. We're on Pacific time, so it's still not for a few hours.
Jason Morgan, Ph.D. Student at University of Wisconsin, Rejects Diversity Indoctrination After Being Attacked as 'Racist'
At the College Fix, "AFTER TOLD HE’S RACIST, UW-M STUDENT REJECTS FURTHER DIVERSITY ‘TRAINING’."
Morgan has responded with a letter to Professor Stephen Kantrowitz (I think), which is published at the piece:
Dear Graduate Director Prof. Kantrowitz,Continue reading.
Please forgive this sudden e-mail. I am writing to you today about the “diversity” training that new teaching assistants (TAs) are required to undergo. In keeping with the spirit of the Wisconsin Idea, I am also blind-copying on this e-mail several journalistic outlets and state government officials, because the taxpayers who support this university deserve to know how their money is being spent.
Hat Tip: Althouse.
Sunday Cartoons
More at Randy's Roundtable, "Friday Night Funnies." And from Reaganite Republican, "Reaganite's SUNDAY FUNNIES."
Also at Theo Spark's.
Cartoon Credit: Legal Insurrection, "Branco Cartoon – Got Your Back, Ted."
At the New York Times, Perilous Task of Innovation in a Digital Age
CRUISES. Conferences. New forms of advertising. Fancy multimedia storytelling.Continue reading.
The Gray Lady, as The New York Times has long been known, isn’t as sedate as she used to be. The company is innovating like a house afire. Or let’s turn the metaphor around: With the house of print burning down, The Times is quickly building something new, hoping to have a permanent place to live in the digital age.
The innovation is necessary. After all, print advertising — the lifeblood of The Times — has long been in decline. Last year, in a major milestone, consumer revenue (mostly from print and digital subscriptions) surpassed advertising revenue, both digital and print. In the old days, print advertising alone brought in about 80 percent of all Times revenue.
The old business model is fading, and the new one hasn’t quite arrived. The Times is journalistically strong and is profitable, but its future is far from certain. As necessary as innovation is, it comes with risks — ethical risks, journalistic risks and, if those should be compromised, business risks.
Here is a look at what is happening, and some of the implications.
I have no interest in going on an "Old Gray Lady Cruise" with Charles Blow or Thomas Friedman --- no matter how vehemently Ms. Sullivan pitches these as "ethically sound."
Other than that, all this "innovation" is about finding new advertising revenue (IMHO). I don't know, but I'd bet the Times might want to think about tightening up its paywall. This is the one newspaper I'd subscribe to if I couldn't navigate past the subscription barrier. But since the newspaper allows reading to access the site through Google and social media (like Twitter), I simply cut and paste articles into the Safari browser until articles load. I will continue to do that as long as it's an option. The Wall Street Journal also allows Google access to article behind the paywall. The tradeoff for publishers is to allow readers to access the papers through search and social sharing. But no doubt tighter paywalls would force people to pay to click. Other papers, like the Independent and Telegraph in the U.K., limit page views and then lock you out after you've maxed out. But I won't pay for those newspapers. On the other hand, the Los Angeles Times also slams the door once you've reached your monthly limit. Google is no help, but I'm a print subscriber so I'm able to read unlimited articles.
If a newspaper is good people will pay to read it. And as the markets continue to consolidate there will be a winnowing of the main sources of news that people will pay to read. This is the demographic that the New York Times needs to attract --- those who will pay. So, start by thinking about who's paying for the product. Increase those revenues along with advertising and I expect the model will be sustainable over the long term.
Lucy Pinder for Sunday #Rule5
Some video, "Lucy Pinder, Nuts Mag, 6 Aug. 2013," and "Lucy Pinder, Nuts Mag, (part 2) 6 Aug. 2013."
And she's on Twitter here.
And around the horn with Pirate's Cove, "Sorta Blogless Sunday Pinup," and "If All You See……is a wonderful jungle that will be wiped from the face of the map because someone used hair spray, you might just be a Warmist."
Also at Proof Positive, "Friday Night Babe: Kirsten Haglund!" And see "Best of the Web Linkaround."
At Daley Gator, "Rule 5 Link Fest."
Plus, at Bob Belvedere's, "Rule 5 Saturday: Satinee Capona."
More from Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World, "Friday Pinup."
Dana Pico has "Blondes with Bullets."
And check 90 Miles From Tyranny, "Hot Pick of the Late Night," and "Girls with Guns."
At Knuckledraggin', "Your Good Morning Girl," and "Camel Toe!!!"
A View From the Beach, "Rule 5 Saturday - Let's Have Another Brazilian, Fernanda Tavares."
At Randy's Roundtable, "Thursday Nite Tart: Nichole Boerner."
More from Cousin Odie, "Alligator Shoes ~OR~ Rule 5 Woodsterman Style."
Also from Double Trouble Two, "Sexy Reds .... ;-)." And from Angry Mike's 'Hood, "The Young And Hot...…………"
Still more from EBL, "Oktoberfest München 2013."
Check out Good Stuff's as well, "HOT! GOODSTUFF'S BLOGGING MAGAZINE (116th Issue)."
And from Subject to Change, "Guns/Girls."
Postal Dogs has, "Joanna Krupa isn't fooling me." And Soylent has, "Auburn Awesome: Shaun Tia."
At Drunken Stepfather, "STEPGIRLS PLAYING IN BEDS OF THE DAY."
Yet more from Blackmailers Don't Shoot, "This Stupid Week, No Rest for the Wicked Edition."
Check Wine, Women, and Politics as well, "Sunday Babes."
Laughing Conservative has "Adrianne Pulacki."
At Animal Magnetism, "Rule Five Bikini Friday News."
And finally, at the Last Tradition, "Rule 5 Sunday – Elizabeth Taylor."
THANKS TO THE OTHER MCCAIN FOR THE INSPIRATION!
Blue Cross Dumps Mad Jewess Woman
See, "The Mad Jewess Has Been Discontinued From Her Insurance/Heath Care. Thanks Obama."
And from earlier this week, "The #ObamaCare Death Toll Rises."
#USC Fires Lane Kiffin
At LAT, "USC fires Lane Kiffin as football coach":
Beauty. “@InsideUSC: I'm told Lane Kiffin told the bus to wait but then #USC administrators told it to go back to campus without him”
— Lane Kiffin's FIRED (@FIRELaneKiffin) September 29, 2013
Fired in the parking lot. Almost poetic if you ask me. #USC means business. #ByeByeKiffin
— Lane Kiffin's FIRED (@FIRELaneKiffin) September 29, 2013
Lane Kiffin, who has coached USC’s football team since 2010, has been relieved of his duties, Athletic Director Pat Haden announced early Sunday.More at that top link.
Kiffin was fired hours after the Trojans lost to Arizona State, 62-41, at Tempe, Ariz. The loss dropped the Trojans’ record to 3-2 overall and 0-2 in the Pac-12 Conference.
Kiffin, who succeeded Pete Carroll as coach, had been under fire since the end of last season, when the Trojans fell from being ranked No. 1 to finishing with a 7-6 record. USC has lost seven of its last 11 games dating to last season.
Kiffin, 38, compiled a 28-15 record at USC. His best season came in 2011, when the Trojans finished 10-2.
The NCAA hit USC with some of the most severe penalties in college football history months after Kiffin was hired. The penalties were related to former Trojans running back Reggie Bush and included a two-year bowl ban and the loss of 30 scholarships over three years.
Haden recently appealed to the NCAA to restore some of the scholarships. The request was denied.
In a four-paragraph news release announcing the move, USC said Haden would hold a news conference Sunday afternoon. It was not known what time.
And see, "It's a horror show in Devils' lair as USC falls to Arizona St., 62-41."
Also at Daley Gator, "USC fires noted douche bag."