Slow-Motion Sexy Sports Time Video

At Playboy, "It's Slow-Mo Sexy Sports Time with Playmates."

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'."

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.

Shop Clothing, Shoes, Handbags, and More

At Amazon, Shop Clothing, Shoes, Handbags, and More - 20% Off Fall Fashion.

Plus, from Roger Kimball, The Long March: How the Cultural Revolution of the 1960s Changed America.

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":

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):

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.

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...

Keep reading.


And watch, "A bridge too far movie first bridge fight."

Trying on Bras with Helen Flanagan

Watch, at Maxim, "FHM Sexy Shorts Presents: Trying Shedloads of Lingerie with Helen Flanagan."

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."

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'."

At the United Nations, Pope Francis Calls for Urgent Action on Climate Change (VIDEO)

At USA Today, "Pope Francis pushes world leaders at U.N. to protect environment."

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."

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:

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."

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":

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.

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.”

More.

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."

'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.

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.

RELATED: At iOTW Report, "Paul Ryan’s Idiotic Statement on Boehner Resignation."

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.

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."

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":

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!

Here’s one caught by an email provider in Milwaukee:

Hello,

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….

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.)

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...

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:

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.

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...

Right.

Fucking losers.