Brunda later told The Post she had refused to shake lecherous Weiner’s hand because his behavior “skeeves me.”Yeah, disgusting Democrats are "skeevy" like that.
I find that really insulting to the people of Detroit. I think there is a serious discussion about the future of cities in a time of deindustrialization. But in many ways, Detroit has been a victim of market forces, and I think that what Steve said is so critical, that retirees and workers should not bear this. And this story should not be hijacked as one of about greedy, fiscal, public unions.Hilarious!
I’m bone weary of the “We are above such petty things as national identity” faux-sophistication. I don’t know what Shulan finds all that complicated about a group of Islamists hijacking planes and trying to kill as many infidel Americans as possible.Background at the New York Post "Iconic Ground Zero photo was nearly excluded from museum for being too ‘rah-rah’ American." (Via Memeorandum.)
He probably has the same nuanced and complexity-is-what-is-meaningful view of Nidal Hasan, regardless of Hasan’s professed motivation.
I’m not ashamed to be an American no matter how much Obama and the Left want to denigrate the brand.
Ortiz's violent meltdown didn't really fall under the entertainment category. It was actually very dangerous and a little scary as shrapnel from the bat and phone flew all over the dugout. In fact, some of the shrapnel nearly took a chunk out of teammate Dustin Pedroia.
Once a muscle-car icon and a symbol of U.S. automotive dominance, the Chevrolet Impala has more recently seen its image suffer. Bloated and generic, the critics said. More suited for the rental car fleets that account for most of its sales.Continue reading.
Consumer Reports three years ago panned its sloppy handling and second-rate fit and finish.
So it marked a stunning turnaround Thursday when the Impala secured the influential magazine's top overall rating among sedans — a distinction held by Japanese and European models for at least two decades. Posting the third-highest score ever, the Impala ranked behind only such distinguished company as the Tesla Model S and BMW 135i.
The critical acclaim is emblematic of a resurgence by U.S. automakers in sales, profits and consumer perceptions of quality and imaginative design. General Motors Co. and Ford Motor Co. each posted second-quarter profits of $1.2 billion this week, numbers not seen since before the Great Recession and GM's bankruptcy and bailout.
Recently redesigned models such as Ford's Fusion sedan and Chrysler's Ram pickup truck are proving a hit with critics and consumers, said Jake Fisher, director of automotive testing for Consumer Reports.
"There are no more excuses," he said. "They can make world-class cars."
LAKEPORT, Calif. — When authorities raided the marijuana growing operation, they found greenhouses filled with plants over 6 feet tall, neatly lined with individual irrigation systems. But the rest of the property, one federal agent recalled, looked like a horror scene.More at the link.
They found dilapidated trailers where farmers appeared to live, caches of weapons and a bloody towel.
"To me, it smacked of a scene from 'Deliverance,'" said David Prince, assistant special agent in charge of Homeland Security Investigations in Northern California. "If I was a plant, that's where I'd want to live. If I was a human, that's not where I'd want to live."
It was here, in a remote area east of Clear Lake in Northern California, that authorities allege a kidnapped teenage girl from Los Angeles County was sexually abused and occasionally held captive in a metal box. The box — about 4-by-2-by-2 feet — sat outside one of the trailers, with holes drilled through the lid and a blanket inside.
The box "had been altered to imprison a human," a federal criminal complaint read.
In charges unsealed in San Francisco, federal officials allege that two men had abused the girl and forced her to help with their marijuana production. The girl eventually called authorities from a West Sacramento hotel, where she was rescued, officials said.
The suspects — Ryan Alan Balletto, 30, and Patrick Steven Pearmain, 25 — face numerous felony charges. The Los Angeles Police Department arrested a third man, Eric Edgar, on suspicion of sexual assault.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents had been investigating the 680-acre property owned by Balletto since December 2011, court documents showed.
The girl was reported missing April 2 from a San Fernando Valley home, according to the LAPD. Cmdr. Andy Smith said detectives believe she was living on the streets of Hollywood when she came in contact with Balletto.
On today's front page: Confidence in the future of the monarchy is at an all-time high http://t.co/ZaXwAqBbwt pic.twitter.com/HdM7ljgmrO
— The Telegraph (@Telegraph) July 28, 2013
More at the link.
Sipping a Coke while seated on a patio overlooking a pool and tennis court, the 21-year-old singer-actress exuded a sense of deep calm (or perhaps deep boredom) as she discussed her new album.
Yet behind her studied half-smile, Gomez seemed aware that the tabloid frenzy — and the fixation on her love life — is one sign that things are going right.
"This is a lot different than any of the records I've put out before," she said. "This transition that I'm going through has been really awkward and cool, and I've learned a lot about myself."
Released on Tuesday (when it shot straight to No. 1 on iTunes), "Stars Dance" is the fourth studio disc from Gomez, who after a stint on "Barney & Friends" found fame with her role on the Disney series "Wizards of Waverly Place."
More importantly, though, the album comes in the wake of her appearance earlier this year in "Spring Breakers," the violent, sex-drenched crime drama from director Harmony Korine in which Gomez played one of four girls on a wild rampage through South Florida's neon-colored landscape.
That new adult vibe carries over to the suggestive lyrics and the harsh electronic textures of "Stars Dance," which Gomez said had been influenced by dubstep superstar Skrillex's work on the "Spring Breakers" score. "I just loved his beats," she said. "When you watch 'Spring Breakers' you can physically feel the music in the party scenes."
The march of the penguin chicks at the @SFZoo today. Photo: Ian C. Bates, The Chronicle Story: http://t.co/hr4oMk6kPE pic.twitter.com/F4OtXI7uNk
— SFGate.com (@SFGate) July 28, 2013
10/21/01 ALCS Gm4: Alfonso Soriano's walk-off home run gives the Yankees a 3-1 win and 3-1 series lead in the ALCS.
Anthony Weiner’s cyber mistress says he fakes it — with his wife.
“It almost feels to me like it’s more of an arrangement, or a business relationship, than a marriage,” Sydney Leathers said of the perv pol and his humiliated spouse, Huma Abedin.
Leathers offered a half-hearted apology to Abedin “for the pain she probably feels” — though she told “Inside Edition” she believes the Hillary Clinton aide loves being in the political limelight.
“I do think that is probably part of it,” Leathers said, when asked if she thought Abedin stays in her marriage “for the power, for the fame, for the stature.”
Escena is believed to be the first single-family tract house development in Southern California built in a modern architectural style since the actual “Mad Men” era, when builders such as Joseph Eichler and the Alexander Construction Co. brought Midcentury Modern to the masses. The bet driving this development: that a new generation raised with smartphones, Ikea stores and hybrid cars understands that modern design is built into every object of their lives.Pretty nice, if you're into Ikea. Lots of photos at the article, in any case.
When it comes to home, the prevailing, post-recession sensibility is simple but cool. It’s smart and efficient. It’s comfort without excess. Escena houses, Poon says, are designed for the modern person who thinks, “I don’t want to be the guy driving the Hummer.”
So here on the north side of Palm Springs, where Gene Autry Trail meets Vista Chino, you will see no faux Italian villas striving for “Under a Tuscan Sun” romantic rusticity. No Spanish tile, no Moroccan arches, no board-and-batten ranch-house siding with a Western accent. These houses speak in the architectural language of flat roofs, open floor plans and maximum connection to the outdoors. Imagine floor tile that emulates the look of polished concrete. Or sleek, high-gloss kitchen cabinets imported from Italy and unencumbered by hardware. Or biofuel fireplaces that deliver ambience without pollution.
“There is a lot of beautiful, modern design in mixed-use projects, condos and apartments, but not in single-family housing,” says Poon, principal at Poon Design, a Beverly Hills firm whose portfolio includes Chaya, Saffron and Mendocino Farms restaurants. Any developer can crank out “Taco Bell” houses and make money, the architect says, “but I think it’s time — time to start offering high design to a mainstream marketplace."
“With an endless parade of distractions, political posturing and phony scandals, Washington has taken its eye off the ball.” — President Obama, WednesdayContinue reading.
Question: How many Americans have to be murdered in an al-Qaeda attack on a U.S. consulate before it stops being a “phony” scandal?
Answer: If Barack Obama is president, more than four.
Writers across the spectrum — from the liberal New York Times to the conservative Wall Street Journal — have beaten up on President Obama’s latest “dreadful, cliche-ridden” (James Taranto, wsj.com) speech on economic policy, the second-longest speech of his presidency.
How can a man talk for more than an hour on a single topic, as Obama did on Wednesday, and say absolutely nothing new? As columnist Charles Krauthammer of the Washington Post explained, “It’s because the president has nothing to say about the economy.”
Liberals complain that all conservatives ever say is “Cut taxes and cut spending!” Perhaps they’re right, but that’s two more ideas than Barack Obama has offered during his entire presidency.
Which is why the only line from this Teleprompter novella that’s gotten any traction is his “phony scandals” feint.
“Phony”? What’s phony about the fact that the IRS targeted citizens based on their ideology? That the discussion of this targeting went all the way up to the president’s hand-picked IRS chief counsel William Wilkins? That Wilkins met with Obama in April 2012 just two days before “new guidance” on how to handle Tea Party applications was sent from Washington to IRS operatives?
Imagine cub reporter Barack “WoodStein” Obama being told by his Washington Post editors in 1972 that the Nixon administration using the IRS to target its enemies was a “phony scandal.” Would he have agreed?
“Phony”? What’s phony about the family members of a Fox News reporter being spied on by the Department of Justice? About Attorney General Eric Holder lying about his knowledge of “potential prosecution” of the media by his department?
And then there’s Ben-ghazi. Almost a year later, we still don’t know where the president was when the terrorist attack started, whether the military was ordered to leave Glen Doherty to die, or why the White House continued to push the phony story of a video weeks after it knew it was a terror attack and not a movie protest.
Four dead Americans at a consulate the Obama administration knew was being targeted but left unprotected. On 9/11. With an ambassador in it. If that’s a “phony scandal,” how many dead Americans does it take to make a real one?
