Kelly Clarkson Brings Keith Urban to Tears (VIDEO)

I watched this last night on, where else? Twitter: "Everyone is talking about @Kelly_Clarkson's performance on American Idol!"

And there's a YouTube clip, at Spin, "Kelly Clarkson Brings Keith Urban to Tears on ‘American Idol’ With ‘Piece By Piece’ Performance."

Others were brought to tears as well.

Via CNN:

Marco Rubio Attacks Donald Trump During Texas Campaign Rally (VIDEO)

So here comes Marco Rubio now, finally finding his wheelhouse?

Heh, he's on a roll. It's an amazing departure from his "Rubiot" performance a couple of debates back.

The obvious question is whether it's too little too late?

Watch, a CNN video, via Free Beacon, "Rubio shreds Donald Trump at rally, mocks his tweets, age, debate performance."

BONUS: At Twitchy, "‘Bit of his own medicine’: Marco Rubio reads Trump’s #MeanTweets [video]," and "Chuck Todd wonders if Rubio’s ‘con artist’ jab at Trump could backfire."

California Voters Want More Water and Less Bullet Train

This is good.

From Leslie Eastman, at Legal Insurrection, "New drought plans needed after “Godzilla El Niño” turns out to be a dud":

Less than a year ago, climate scientists were heralding the “Godzilla El Niño,” which would generate historic rainfalls that could help alleviate California’s mega-drought.

Climate reality has failed to confirm climate theory, as the term “dud” is now being used to describe the weather pattern.

Is this El Niño a dud?

Sacramento is in the peak of its rainy season, but there is no substantial rain in the forecast for the next two weeks. The Sierra snowpack has fallen below normal levels for this time of year. The state’s three largest reservoirs remain far below capacity.

Whither El Niño?

Throughout the summer and fall of 2015, California residents waited in anticipation as they heard about the strong El Niño weather pattern brewing in the Pacific Ocean. We remembered the winters of 1997-98 and 1982-83, when such strong El Niños corresponded with deluges. And we hoped for relief from our long, brutal drought.

But through Feb. 20, Sacramento has seen half the precipitation that occurred by this point in 1997-98 and 1982-83.

At this point, it looks as if California is going to have to continue implementing a wide array of water-saving measures, which include “cash-for-grass” and drought-shaming neighbors...

More.

Well, whether or not we had the "Godzilla El Niño," it's clear the whole "drought crisis" paradigm has been shot through, considering the significant rain and snow we did receive this season. Remember, the snowpack's just above normal levels, and we're likely to get more. (See the Los Angeles Times, "In Northern California, skiers and water officials are grateful for the recovering snowpack.")

And thus, yeah, California residents had better push back against all these stupid, aggressive "water-saving measures." We've always had dry spells in this state. If the idiots and Sacramento would expand water-capture (think reservoirs), we'd all be fine.

'Confederate Heritage Month'

This is so stupid, although I'm sure Stogie at Saberpiont will be pleased.

At the Jackson Free Press, "UPDATED: Mississippi Governor Declares April 'Confederate Heritage Month,' No Slavery Mention":

UPDATED: Gov @PhilBryantMS Declares April ‘Confederate Heritage Month,’ No Slavery Mention https://t.co/ibU5ufM1x1 pic.twitter.com/e5HKN83Icm

— JxnFreePress (@JxnFreePress) February 25, 2016

JACKSON — Two weeks before the Mississippi Legislature allowed 19 state flag bills to die in committee, Gov. Phil Bryant took out a pen and signed an official governor's proclamation, declaring the month of April "Confederate Heritage Month," a routine occurrence in Mississippi and several other southern states.

The proclamation, which does not appear on the State of Mississippi's website with other proclamations, such as about emergency inclement weather, is posted on the website of the Sons of Confederate Veterans, which is ferociously against changing the Mississippi flag to remove the Confederate battle flag—which supporters like to call the "Beauregard flag"—from its canton.

#SCV is also an organization that pushes revisionist history about the Civil War and the reasons the Confederacy formed, such as selling books by James Ronald Kennedy and his twin brother Walter Donald Kennedy at Jefferson Davis' Gulf Coast home, Beauvoir, which SCV manages. The Kennedy brothers are founding members of the League of the South. These organizations stand in strong denial of the reasons the Confederates themselves said they seceded, joined the Confederacy and started the war—to maintain slavery, extend it to new states and force the return of fugitive slaves who had made their way to free states.

On Bryant's gubernatorial letterhead, the proclamation starts out by explaining that April is the appropriate month to honor Confederate heritage because it "is the month in which the Confederate States began and ended a four-year struggle." It adds that the state celebrates Confederate Memorial Day on April 25 to "recognize those who served in the Confederacy."

It then explains that it is "important for all Americans to reflect upon our nation's past" and "to gain insight from our mistakes and successes," adding that we must "earnestly strive to understand and appreciate our heritage and our opportunities which lie before us."

#Bryant refuses to take a position on changing the Mississippi flag, saying it should be up to the voters, who decided in 2001 to leave the old flag in place, in a vote that fell largely along racial lines.

#Mississippi, along with Arkansas and Alabama, also celebrate Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee's birthday on the same day as the federal Martin Luther King Jr. birthday in January...

In the past, I might have said "to each his own," but since the Dylann Roof Charleston massacre of black parishioners, I'm not about to defend the "heritage" of the Confederate Flag any longer. Sure, let it fly, but don't tell me it's not about slavery. It's about slavery.

More. (Via Memeorandum.)

FLASHBACK: "Leftist Stogie at Saberpoint Joins Marxists and Radical Libertarians on Civil War Revisionism."

There's lots more from the Stogie-Donald debates here.

Awkward Oscar Moments

The Academy Awards is the one awards show I genuinely like, and the one I try to faithfully watch each year.

I don't know how much longer my personal tradition can hold out, however, with all the stultifying political correctness that's taken over everything.

#OscarsSoWhite and all that, you know?

In any case, I love this photo-compilation, at the Los Angeles Times, "23 totally awkward Oscar moments."

As for the political correctness, here's the Times' front-page lead story this morning, "91% white. 76% male. Changing who votes on Oscar won't be easy":

With Sunday’s Oscar show, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences will close one of the most contentious awards seasons in its history and open an era of historic change, as the 89-year-old institution launches an ambitious drive to diversify its membership.

A Los Angeles Times study shows just how much work the academy has to do if it intends to reflect the audience it serves — and just how aggressive the group’s new goals are.

In 2012, The Times reported that Oscar voters were 94% white and 77% male. Four years later, the academy has made scant progress: Oscar voters are 91% white and 76% male, according to a new Times study.

Blacks are about 3% of the academy, up from 2%; Asians and Latinos are each just over 2%, with both groups up slightly.

The academy has invited more women and minority group members over the last four years, but with its 6,261 voting members appointed for life, the organization’s ranks were on track to remain overwhelmingly white and male for decades.

Under fire for nominating an all-white slate of actors for two years in a row, the academy last month vowed to double the number of women and minority members by 2020. It also adopted controversial new rules that will allow it to take away voting rights from inactive members.

“Our goal is to make sure that we are active in bringing in different voices regardless of gender or race or sexual orientation,” academy President Cheryl Boone Isaacs said in an interview Thursday. “Inclusiveness in this organization, that is our goal.”

Doubling the number of women and minority members over the next four years, however, figures to be daunting.

The academy has about 1,500 women and 535 non-white people who are eligible to vote on the Oscars, according to Times estimates. Based on those findings, doubling their numbers would require inviting at least 375 women and more than 130 people of color each year.

That would demand a dramatic shift in admissions given that the academy's latest class — touted as the largest and most diverse in its history — was only 322 people, most of them white men...

More.

Sacramento State's Four-Year Graduation Rate is Just 9 Percent (VIDEO)

Actually, I think the four-year graduation benchmark is extremely unrealistic. The problem, though, is that less than half of students are even graduating within six years.

So something's got to be done to boost completion times.

At CBS News Sacramento:



Plus, from the Sacramento Bee, last July, "New Sac State president puts graduation rates first."

Rachel Williams for Primitive Glamour

Nice: "The controversy that surrounds the UK-bred Glamour scene in many ways echoes the complexities of being a Londoner. The old guard becomes the new; what is rejected becomes accepted, and the cycle repeats itself. What is the proper amount of proper? Of course, none of this matters. Our blurb in time is meant for connecting with others and sharing those experiences when appropriate. Whether it be next door neighbors or residents of a community halfway across the globe, every smile has a story."

Direct Rachel link here.

Check out Rosie Jones and India Reynolds at the link as well.

BONUS: Flashback, "Rachel Williams — the Girl Who Broke the Internet — Makes Her Sexy Return!"

Stella Maxwell for Victoria's Secret in Malibu Photo Shoot

At London's Daily Mail, "PICTURE EXCLUSIVE: Carefree Stella Maxwell throws off her shirt as she goes topless for beach photoshoot."

And at Egotastic!, "STELLA MAXWELL TOPLESS FOR VICTORIA'S SECRET SHOOT IN MALIBU."

BONUS: "Stella Maxwell showcases her lithe legs in racy leather and lace jeans as she steps out in Milan during Fashion Week."

Drug-Dealing Brothers Face Jail-Time After Mocking Judge Who Let Them Off on Facebook

I guess these are a couple of stupid white working-class blokes.

At London's Daily Mail, "Brothers jailed after judge mocked on Facebook for suspended sentences":

Two brothers hauled back to court for mocking a judge on Facebook after she decided not to send them to prison for drug dealing have now been jailed for two years.

Forty minutes after Daniel Sledden, 27, received a suspended jail term from Judge Beverley Lunt, he posted online: "Cannot believe my luck 2 year suspended sentance (sic) beats the 3 year jail yes pal! Beverly [sic] Lunt go suck my ****".

Soon after, his brother, Samuel, 22, wrote: "What a day it's been Burnley crown court! Up ur **** aha nice 2 year suspended..."

The defendants, from Accrington, Lancashire, were recalled for a sentence review when the remarks were brought to the attention of the judge after she previously heard their expressions of remorse for offending.

On Friday, Judge Lunt said: "The question I have to ask myself is this, if I had not known their real feelings at being in court would I have accepted their remorse and contrition, and suspended the sentence. And the answer is of course not.

"Each of the posts indicate they have not changed at all. They have not taken on board anything or learned any responsibility."

The Sleddens originally received a two-year jail term, suspended for two years, after they admitted being concerned in the supply of cannabis between May and September 2014.

Both will now serve two years after the suspension was lifted by Judge Lunt...

Still more, plus photos of these two losers.

Donald Trump Leads Marco Rubio by 11 Points in Latest IBD/TIPP National Poll

Rubio's trolling Trump, and everyone's getting all jazzy-pants about it.

I seriously doubt last night's debate will make much difference, however. Trump's going to roll up a bunch of wins next Tuesday, not the least of which in Florida.

Here's the new IBD poll, "Clinton, Sanders Are in a Dead Heat; Trump Leads But Rubio Rises."

The Dems are statistically tied, but Trump still holds a large lead in the GOP race:

Despite her win in the Nevada caucuses Saturday, Hillary Clinton’s lead among Democrats over Bernie Sanders has evaporated nationally, 45% to 43%, according to the latest IBD/TIPP poll. Last month, Clinton topped Sanders 50% to 38%.

On the GOP side, Donald Trump held steady at 31%. Ted Cruz dropped a point to 20%. Marco Rubio, however, saw his support climb eight percentage points to reach 18% — a clear sign that much of the support of candidates dropping out the race have been gravitating to Rubio.

Meanwhile, Ben Carson has 8% and John Kasich has risen to 7%. Both are resisting pressure to step aside.

Trump’s lead, however, narrows considerably when first and second choices are combined. While 42% picked Trump as either their first or second choice, Cruz and Rubio were tied at 39%.

An analysis of the 12 states that vote for GOP candidates on Super Tuesday shows that Trump holds a similar lead, with 31% support. However, Rubio moves into second place at 23%, followed by Cruz at 20%.

Given Trump’s definitive win in Nevada on Tuesday, a string of victories on March 1 could give him a virtually insurmountable lead for the GOP nomination...

More.

Plus, on Florida, at ABC News, via Memeorandum, "Donald Trump Leads Marco Rubio by 16 Points in New Florida Poll."

BONUS: At WFAA News 8 Dallas, via Memeorandum, "Cruz, Trump tied in WFAA Texas poll."

Rotten in Denmark: 'Growing domestic consensus that large-scale Muslim immigration is incompatible with European social democracy...'

Get a kick out of this, from Hugh Eakin, at the New York Review of Books, "Liberal, Harsh Denmark":

In country after country across Europe, the Syrian refugee crisis has put intense pressure on the political establishment. In Poland, voters have brought to power a right-wing party whose leader, Jarosław Kaczyński, warns that migrants are bringing “dangerous diseases” and “various types of parasites” to Europe. In France’s regional elections in December, some Socialist candidates withdrew at the last minute to support the conservatives and prevent the far-right National Front from winning. Even Germany, which took in more than a million asylum-seekers in 2015, has been forced to pull back in the face of a growing revolt from Chancellor Angela Merkel’s own party and the recent New Year’s attacks on women in Cologne, allegedly by groups of men of North African origin.

And then there is Denmark. A small, wealthy Scandinavian democracy of 5.6 million people, it is according to most measures one of the most open and egalitarian countries in the world. It has the highest income equality and one of the lowest poverty rates of any Western nation. Known for its nearly carbon-neutral cities, its free health care and university education for all, its bus drivers who are paid like accountants, its robust defense of gay rights and social freedoms, and its vigorous culture of social and political debate, the country has long been envied as a social-democratic success, a place where the state has an improbably durable record of doing good. Danish leaders also have a history of protecting religious minorities: the country was unique in Nazi-occupied Europe in prosecuting anti-Semitism and rescuing almost its entire Jewish population.

When it comes to refugees, however, Denmark has long led the continent in its shift to the right—and in its growing domestic consensus that large-scale Muslim immigration is incompatible with European social democracy. To the visitor, the country’s resistance to immigrants from Africa and the Middle East can seem implacable. In last June’s Danish national election—months before the Syrian refugee crisis hit Europe—the debate centered around whether the incumbent, center-left Social Democrats or their challengers, the center-right Liberal Party, were tougher on asylum-seekers. The main victor was the Danish People’s Party, a populist, openly anti-immigration party, which drew 21 percent of the vote, its best performance ever. Its founder, Pia Kjærsgaard, for years known for suggesting that Muslims “are at a lower stage of civilization,” is now speaker of the Danish parliament. With the backing of the Danish People’s Party, the center-right Liberals formed a minority government that has taken one of the hardest lines on refugees of any European nation...

Leftists are constantly spewing about how great Scandinavian countries like Denmark are, claiming that their social welfare-state economies are superior to the U.S., blah blah.

Heh, not so much when it comes to Muslim "refugees" though.

Keep reading.

Marco Rubio Goes After Trump at Houston GOP Debate (VIDEO)

I'm tired of the debates, frankly.

But this is pretty good.

At Politico, "Rubio ambushes Trump at GOP debate: The Florida senator, desperate for a surge ahead of Super Tuesday, delivered an all-out assault on the Republican front-runner on the Houston stage."

Take 30% Off Contemporary Jewelry

At Amazon, Shop Fashion - 30% Off Contemporary Jewelry.

Plus, Gillette Fusion ProGlide Manual Men's Razor Blade Refills, 8 Count.

More, InnoGear® 100ml Aromatherapy Essential Oil Diffuser Portable Ultrasonic Cool Mist Aroma Humidifier with Color LED Lights Changing and Waterless Auto Shut-off Function for Home Office Bedroom Room.

BONUS: From James Holland, The Rise of Germany, 1939-1941: The War in the West, Volume 1.

Jackie Johnson's Forecast

Mild, no rain today.

Via CBS News 2 Los Angeles:

Kindle Fire HDX 8.9 — Starting at $329.00

At Amazon, Kindle Fire HDX 8.9", HDX Display, Wi-Fi, 32 GB - Includes Special Offers (Previous Generation - 3rd).

Also, Fire, 7" Display, Wi-Fi, 8 GB - Includes Special Offers, Black.

More, Amazon Basics High-Speed HDMI Cable - 6.5 Feet (2 Meters) Supports Ethernet, 3D, 4K and Audio Return.

BONUS: From Omer Bartov, Mirrors of Destruction: War, Genocide, and Modern Identity.

And ICYMI, The German War: A Nation Under Arms, 1939–1945.

Jess Greenberg, 'All Along the Watchtower' (VIDEO)

This is fantastic!

I've Finished Orlando Figes, A People's Tragedy

Oh boy, that was a long book, heh.

I wanted to finish before February 8th, when my spring semester started, but I was blogging the Malheur crisis (and the presidential primaries) so much my progress stalled.

Well, I blazed through the last 100 pages or so this week, which is great, because I can now move on to some of the other things I've been meaning to read.

Figes' tome is highly recommended (very highly). You just need to have a lot of time to read.

Here, A People's Tragedy: The Russian Revolution: 1891-1924.

Pic Dump's Back

Always one of the favorite features at Theo Spark's, "Pic Dump..."

Theo's got his February fundraiser going, so the pic dump might be a limited release.

Melania Trump: 'I followed the law...' (VIDEO)

Mrs. Trump, with Mika Brzezinski, on MSNBC:

Why Moscow Holds the Cards in Syria

From Julien Barnes-Dacey and Jeremy Shapiro, at Politico:

It’s time to drop pretenses of U.S. forces or safe zones and persuade the rebels to accept Russia’s terms. Otherwise a new slaughter will start in Aleppo.

Can the shaky cease-fire announced this week avert a fresh disaster about to happen in Syria? The siege of Aleppo, Syria’s largest city. That will be the key test for the pact, which is to go into effect on Feb. 27. For weeks now, Aleppans have felt a sense of impending doom. Recently, Syrian government forces with the support of Russian air power cut off the last remaining major supply route to rebels in Aleppo, setting the stage for a siege. Fearing the prospect of bombardment and starvation, tens of thousands of Syrians have already fled toward Turkey and the hope of safety. With Ankara refusing to let most of them into the country, a humanitarian crisis is already brewing on the border. Many thousands more are fleeing to other parts of Syria, including to regime-held areas. A not-small percentage of them will end up on the road to Europe this spring and summer.

Ironically, the talks are not even any longer about bringing relief to Aleppo. It was the Assad regime’s advance on the city in early February that pushed international negotiations forward. But the talks are less likely to have any meaningful impact there than in other parts of Syria because fighting has dramatically intensified in and around Aleppo even as negotiations have progressed. And the Russians have made it clear that even if a cessation of hostilities comes into effect, Aleppo and the neighboring province of Idlib will be excluded from the arrangement due to the direct presence of Jabhat al-Nusra, Al Qaeda’s affiliate in Syria.

The fact that President Vladimir Putin came out so quickly in support of the agreement, making a special address on Russian television yesterday, at least holds out the prospect of a new commitment from Moscow. This is presumably based on the military gains Putin’s forces have helped Assad secure over recent months. And the Russian leader has reason to be confident he can control events on the ground: The presence of al-Nusra, in particular, gives Russia an excuse to keep fighting in Aleppo and even to target rebel fighters that the West would prefer to support. Washington knows it is impossible to craft a cease-fire that would still allow attacks on the Islamic State—which President Barack Obama wants—but rule out efforts against al-Nusra, which is a terrorist organization by any definition.

Many still see the ultimate answer in the use of U.S. military force or a no-fly or safe zone to save the people of Aleppo and to push back the Russian-supported regime advance. Such voices are demanding that Washington find a way to reopen supply routes into the city and increase the flow of high-end weapons to the rebels.

But just as constant in these refrains is the lack of a broader strategy in which to place the use of U.S. force. Beyond the fact that these measures would risk a direct U.S.-Russian clash and the possible outbreak of a wider conflict, it is doubtful whether safe zones would actually improve protection for civilians. Without an accompanying ground force able to secure the zones, fighting will continue. Al-Nusra and ISIL are likely to partly fill any vacuum. Pushing the regime back from northern Aleppo may change the identity of those who suffer, but it will hardly reduce the problem overall...

Keep reading.