American Power

Sunday, April 10, 2016

Eliza Cummings for Marie Claire Italy

She's nice.

At Egotastic!, "Eliza Cummings Perfection in Marie Claire Italy."

She's on Instagram.

photo 0070799a-acb5-41a9-9fde-08c8cc090219_zpsmhav6cch.jpg

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Two More Colleges Hit by Pro-Trump Chalk Messages (VIDEO)

At USA Today, "'Chalking' officially a problem as pro-Trump messages set off new storms":

If three is officially a trend, chalking is now a trendy — and highly controversial — way for Donald Trump fans to show their love.

This week, two schools — the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga — jumped into the chalking fray, joining the headlines made in March at Emory University with pro-Trump messages scrawled on campus grounds.

Following a now-familiar timeline, the chalked messages appeared and the storms followed. At UTC, it hit the student government.

Hailey Puckett, a member of a UTC student government coalition called Empower UTC who chalked “Trump 2016” on April 5, was asked to resign by fellow coalition members.

Empower’s stance did not go over well with some students, who responded along the lines of this tweet. [Here.]

The next day, EMPOWER UTC members Phillip Stubblefield and Mikayla Long posted apologies. Stubblefield noted that his words had been poorly chosen. “I fully support every individual’s First Amendment rights and the senator-elect has every right to support any candidate of her choosing,” he wrote.

Long apologized and noted that “Hailey was asked by EMPOWER to resign from SGA because she disregarded her responsibility as an elected senator to represent the students that elected her. Her statement, ‘Super proud of our art work, but I have a feeling half of UTCs campus is going to hate it’ does not show that she is currently prepared to represent students effectively. That is the sole reason we asked her to resign.”

More.

That's Hailey Puckett at the clip, appearing on the "Kelly File."

Angels, in Last Place in American League West, Are Already 1 1/2 Games Back

During the post-game show last night, host Alex Curry was talking to analyst Jose Mota, and the latter blew off Manager Mike Scoscia's response to the team's season, that "it's still early." Mota argued that frankly every game matters, even in the first weeks of the season, because each loss puts you further behind your rivals. And when September comes all that matters is the win-loss record.

I have to agree. The Angels are already in the basement of the American League West. They can get out easily, but they need to make the move soon.

Here's Jeff Fletcher, at the O.C. Register, "Escobar's miscue adds to Angels' woes":

An Angels Rite of Spring: the "No one is panicking" speech. https://t.co/8JCCajctyz
— Jeff Fletcher (@JeffFletcherOCR) April 10, 2016

ANAHEIM – We now bring you what has become a regular feature of an Angels season. …

After the Angels 4-1 loss to the Texas Rangers on Saturday night, their fourth loss in their first five games, Garrett Richards gave an answer that could have applied to most of the Angels recent Aprils.

“We’re a good club,” Richards said. “I truly believe that. I don’t think there’s anything to worry about. I don’t think anybody is panicking in here.”

That’s because, as Richards said, “It’s early in the season. We have a ton of games left to play… We’ve started out slow the last few years, but we’re right in it in the end.”

Sure enough, the Angels have started slowly regularly in recent years, and this seems to fit the mold perfectly. The problem is this team didn’t have quite the high expectations of some of those other clubs that started slowly.

The issue with this team is an offense that may be a little shallow, which has definitely been the case as they’ve scored nine runs in the first five games.

Another issue on Saturday night was the defense, which didn’t figure to be a problem in general but has been a concern – of the analysts, if not the Angels – with third baseman Yunel Escobar.

Richards was sailing along with the Angels best start of the season’s first week, trailing 2-1 when he got Elvis Andrus to hit a routine bouncer to Escobar, who fielded it charging toward the middle of the infield. He was just behind the mound when he nonchalantly flipped the ball to first, except his toss sailed over the head of C.J. Cron. As the ball skipped to the railing, Andrus took second.

Escobar came to the Angels with a reputation as a poor defensive player. The Angels have insisted that Escobar’s tools were better than the defensive metrics gave him credit for.

The Angels have worked with Escobar to alter his release point to make his throws more accurate, but this was not one of those cases. This wasn’t so much a throw as a flip.

“He just stayed open and tried to flip it over there and just threw it a little bit high,” Manager Mike Scioscia said. “But when he sets his feet, he’s throwing the ball very well.”

More.

Sunday Cartoons

At Flopping Aces, "Sunday Funnies."

Branco Cartoon photo Spirit-of-Deal-600-LI-594x425_zpsmdjy9rxd.jpg

And at Theo's, "Cartoon Roundup..."

Cartoon Credit: Legal Insurrection, "Branco Cartoon – Blind Ambition."

Unbearable Grief in Iraqi Village of Asriya

Now this does seem pretty senseless, but then again, it's not.

Islam is just death. Death all around, wanton, and without remorse.

From Liz Sly, at WaPo, "‘It was a children’s soccer game. Of course he knew he was going to kill children...’":

The suicide bomber who blew up a youth soccer match late last month left barely a dent in the hard, dry earth, and only a faint scorch on a concrete wall nearby.

But he gouged a chasm of grief in the heart of the small community that lost more than two dozen of its sons in a single moment, at 6:15 on the evening of March 25.

A total of 43 people died in the bombing at the game, according to figures provided by the local government. Of those, 29 were boys younger than 17 who had either been participating in the match or watching their friends play.

The bomber also was a teenager, no more than 15 or 16 years old, judging by the picture of him released by the Islamic State, which asserted responsibility for the bombing, and the accounts of those who saw him at the match. The militants’ statement said the target was a gathering of members of the Shiite paramilitary group known as Hashd al-Shaabi, and the local government said two members of a militia were among the adults who died.

Yet that hardly explains the horror of an attack that inevitably would kill children.

The bomber “was a child, and he came to kill children,” said Mohammed al-Juhaishi, one of the sheiks from the area, who lost five relatives in the blast. “It was a children’s soccer game. Of course he knew he was going to kill children.”

For the boys of the impoverished, mixed Sunni-Shiite village of Asriya, 40 miles south of Baghdad in the area the U.S. military called the Triangle of Death, soccer is not a pastime. It is a passion and a purpose, offering the dream of escape from the grim monotony of life in one of Iraq’s more neglected communities.

One such boy was Mohaned Khazaal, age 10, who lived for the sake of Real Madrid, his favorite team, and his idol, the team’s star forward, Cristiano Ronaldo, said his brother, Ahmed, who is 12. Mohaned hoped one day to play for Iraq, and perhaps even
Real Madrid, said Ahmed, who dreamed of playing for Barcelona and often got into fights with his brother over which of the rival teams was better.

They also both played for a local team, which did not qualify for the final of the youth league tournament. But they attended the match nonetheless, along with an older brother, Farouq, 20, and almost all of the other boys living in the soccer-crazed community.

The final took place between a team called Ahli and a team called Salam, which means peace. The venue was a dusty field in the middle of the village, unmarked except for the goal post at either end. Local officials watched from plastic chairs on a small podium erected at one edge of the field. The spectators, most of them boys, stood around the perimeter of the field.

Hardly anyone seemed to notice that one of the boys watching the game was wearing a thick jacket on a warm spring evening while all the other boys were dressed in T-shirts. Anmar al-Janabi, 12, who was standing near the oddly dressed boy, said he did notice, although he did not think to say anything to the adults at the match.

“He was a little tall with long hair, and he looked different. He was wearing a thick jacket, and it was hot,” Anmar recalled. “He spoke to us. He said, ‘It’s a good game, isn’t it?’ ”

When the match ended, the boy in the jacket joined the scramble of boys converging at the podium to watch the awarding of the trophy and the medals, said Anmar, who attended the match with his 13-year-old brother, Bilal, and a group of friends.

“Then he blew himself up, and I felt a fire hit my face,” Anmar said. “And then I ran away.”

Las Vegas Democrat Joe Cervantes, Two-Time Obama Voter, Backs Donald Trump in 2016

Heh.

I'm getting a kick out of this.

At LAT, "'We need an outsider like Trump,' says this two-time Obama voter":

On the vacant, sun-blasted streets southwest of the Strip, Joe Cervantes sees an America on the decline.

Sporting a fedora and a Jimi Hendrix T-shirt as he walks his chow chow, the 67-year-old retired car salesman grumbles when he passes a neighbor’s house with weeds in the rocks. Three cars with no license plates are parked outside.

Asians bought the place in foreclosure and didn’t care who they rented to, he says. Next door to him, he adds, low-income black renters tore up the place so badly the tile floors needed to be replaced. At a house around the corner, he says he’s noticed a Middle Eastern man always outside talking on his cellphone in a foreign language: Cervantes wonders whether he should call the police.

For Cervantes, life in these sand-blown suburbs has come to look like much that has gone wrong with the rest of the country. The homes are cheap and falling apart, he says, because “illegals” did the work and contractors were able to bribe the building inspectors. Foreclosures swept through the neighborhood and he almost lost his own home in the Great Recession because politicians stopped protecting the interests of regular Americans. He blames the same politicians for letting his factory job back in Wisconsin go to Mexico in 1982.

The way Cervantes sees it, the government is a high-stakes card game at which he and most Americans never get a seat. He voted for President Obama but has twice been disappointed. This election, the name he is betting on is emblazoned in gold on the Vegas skyline: Trump.

“The middle class is done in this country. I think we need an outsider like [Donald] Trump to come in and upset the establishment and make them help the middle class,” Cervantes says.

In some ways, Cervantes is like many Americans, of different stripes and widely varying locales, who have found themselves unexpectedly drawn to the real estate tycoon. The retiree lost his factory job to the pitfalls of free trade; he gets angry about illegal immigration; he resents having worked his whole life when others got a free ride.

Conversely, though, Trump's talk about closing the border and keeping out Muslim immigrants doesn't ring true with Cervantes, who is Latino and counts blacks and Arabs among his close friends. He looks forward to one friend’s annual Ramadan feast. And he is disturbed by Trump’s belligerent talk about pummeling protesters. Cervantes won’t swat a spider he finds in his house — he takes them outside — much less a person.

Nevada has always been a state of people who resist easy categorization — people who moved here, in some cases, to escape the categories they were born with elsewhere. As a lot, Nevada Republicans are less religious, less educated and less bound by tradition. They don’t care deeply about issues like abortion or gay marriage. Many own small businesses, often in construction or catering to the gaming industry. They have strong libertarian and anti-establishment streaks, with little tolerance for Washington politics.

Many other Western states have tended to support U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz, a strong social conservative from Texas. But Republicans here are planting a solid flag that says Trump country...

Heh.

Notice how Cervantes isn't too pleased with Trump's comments on Latinos and Muslism, but is still going to vote for him nevertheless.

Give you an idea just how bad things are in this country, and about the paucity of attractive alternatives in either party. Says a lot.

Keep reading.

No, California's Drought Not Over (VIDEO)

Well, leftists say the drought's not over.

Of course, dams and spillways are so full the state's mandated releasing water. Folsom Lake's water level is 10 feet higher than last month, with more high levels expected with the snow melt.

Still, it's been four years of drought, so apparently we're not out of the woods. CBS Evening News has the video report below.

And at LAT, "Sierra snowpack shows improvement, but not enough to declare California's drought over":

In a symbolic moment in California's slow but steady drought recovery, a state surveyor on Wednesday found several feet of snow in the same Sierra Nevada meadow that was bare and brown just a year ago.

The depth of the snowpack was declared to be just below average, a huge improvement from last year, but still far from enough to declare the drought over.

Around 11 a.m., Frank Gehrke, chief of the California Cooperative Snow Surveys Program, thrust a long silver tube into Phillips Station’s renewed, robust snowpack and, minutes later, told gathered reporters that there was more than 58 inches of snow on the ground.

That snow held 26 inches of water content, he said, just short of average for the date.

“A big improvement compared to last year,” Gehrke said, “but not what we had hoped for.”

The Phillips Station measurement — which officials said was 97% of average — provides data for just one location and therefore is considered more symbolic than definitive. The results from the station about 90 miles east of Sacramento are not necessarily representative of statewide conditions, officials say.

Water officials prefer to use the electronic readings taken remotely at about 100 stations across the Sierra Nevada for a more accurate assessment. The latest readings, taken Wednesday around 8:30 a.m. showed that the water content held by the state’s snowpack was about 24 inches, or 87% of normal...

Still more.

Plus, more video from KCRA News 3 Sacramento, "Disappointing results from Wednesday’s Sierra snow survey."

Boston Globe Publishes Fake Front Page to Attack Donald Trump

The so-called fake front page is supposedly "satirical," and runs as the first page of the Globe's Sunday editorial section.

Hadas Gold reports, at Politico, "Boston Globe to publish fake front page on Trump presidency" (via Memeorandum). And see PuffHo, "Boston Globe Hammers Trump With Fake Front Page."

There's a pdf of the entire page here, and the Globe's got an editorial smearing Trump, via Memeorandum, "The GOP Must Stop Trump."

It's a rank smear. A classic leftist, politically-correct globalist establishment smear. The Globe selectively highlights Trump's statements, and caricatures the nature of his "movement" as "un-American" (when in fact huge majorities support Trump's proposal on mass deportation, for example, to say nothing of his call to halt Muslim immigration to the U.S.).

The fringe ideologues with "un-American" views aren't folks who favor Donald Trump. It's the collectivist, politically-correct globalists, and the more they demonize The Donald, the more they work to bring about the very things they purportedly reject.

Boston Globe Fake Front Page photo download_zpsvcmgsjt0.jpg

Boston Globe Fake Front Page photo download_zpsvcmgsjt0.jpg

Erin Heatherton Exclusive Behind-the-Scenes Sport Illustrated Swimsuit Video 2016

Following-up from yesterday, "Erin Heatherton Quit Victoria's Secret Fashion Show After Being Told to Lose Weight."

She's a little heavier than when she first walked the runway for the VS Fashion Show in 2008 --- and she looks a lot better, much healthier.

Like I said earlier, she's a freakin' dream goddess of a babe.

Via Sports Illustrated:

Saturday, April 9, 2016

Amber Lee's Rainy Weekend Forecast

Not too bad, but it's been consistently wet this weekend. And there's flood warnings for burn areas on Sunday.

At CBS News 2 Los Angeles:

Colorado Republican Party Deletes #NeverTrump Tweet

I guess folks in the Colorado GOP are really looking to foment those riots Donald Trump's warned about if he's denied the nomination. I mean, what else explains such utter stupidity?

If something like a third of primary voters have been consistently and implacably Trump supporters, you potentially could have tens of millions of potential Republican voters sit out the general election. Either that, or we could see Trump mount an independent presidential run after all. It's going to be something else, whatever happens.

At Politico:

Colorado GOP deletes #nevertrump tweet, pledges investigation https://t.co/T5OsjTKLzB | Getty pic.twitter.com/azNcT8EnRB
— POLITICO (@politico) April 10, 2016

Excited to see how Trump campaign reacts to what Colorado state party said was unauthorized access to their account pic.twitter.com/bmThY8UXcX
— Ben Jacobs (@Bencjacobs) April 10, 2016

Thousands of Protesters March Through London, Call on David Cameron to Resign (VIDEO)

I've always tried to like David Cameron, but I can't stand his Islamo-appeasement. And now with the Panama Papers, I think his reputation with me is pretty much shot.

At the Telegraph UK, "Thousands of protesters march through London calling for David Cameron to resign, in pictures."

Also, "Thousands of protesters storm Downing Street calling on David Cameron to quit amid Panama Papers row":

Thousands of protesters marched on Downing Street on Saturday afternoon, calling on David Cameron to resign over the Panama Papers revelations detailing his tax affairs.

Demonstrators wielded placards which said "he's got to go" amid a heavy police presence in the capital.

In a humiliating apology to the party faithful at a conference in London, the Prime Minister attempted to draw a line under a dreadful week in which he repeatedly failed to clarify his tax affairs.

Mr Cameron also confirmed that “later on” he will publish his tax returns stretching back six years to 2009/10 when he sold shares in his father’s offshore company Blairmore Holdings.

Meanwhile, Lily Allen was among protesters who gathered outside Grand Connaught Rooms, the conference was held...

More.

And see, "Exclusive: David Cameron's 'hypocrisy' on Panama Papers after he ordered all parliamentary candidates to reveal their tax affairs."

Still more, from Janet Daly, "By demonising the super-rich, David Cameron set himself up for a fall."

Deal of the Day: Up to 61% Off GreenWorks 80V Tools [BUMPED]

At Amazon, Save on GreenWorks 80V Tools.

More, Save on Kenneth Cole Dress Shoes.

Also, National Geographic: 12 issues / 12 months, $19.00 (Save 74% off the cover price).

Plus, by Robert Bunting, The Pacific Raincoast: Environment and Culture of an American Eden.

And from Larry Pynn, Last Stands: A Journey Through North America's Vanishing Ancient Rainforests.

BONUS: William C. Davis, The American Frontier: Pioneers, Settlers, and Cowboys 1800–1899.

Erin Heatherton Quit Victoria's Secret Fashion Show After Being Told to Lose Weight

My goodness, the woman's a dream goddess, and she was dissed by Victoria's Secret? And that's after being one of their top angels for years.

At Stuff NZ, "Victoria's Secret Angel Erin Heatherton was 'told to lose weight' for show."

And at the Sun UK, "Model Erin Heatherton leaves contract with Victoria’s Secret after being told she had to lose weight."

Who told Erin Heatherton that she had to “lose weight”? https://t.co/cRSFZ89P52 pic.twitter.com/rda8UqSOhz
— VOGUE.CO.UK (@BritishVogue) April 9, 2016

Steve Miller Slams Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (VIDEO)

At USA Today, "Steve Miller rants at Rock Hall of Fame induction ceremony":

Steve Miller was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Friday night, but apparently he didn't enjoy the experience.

Speaking in the press room after his induction, Miller, 72, insisted, "The whole process needs to be changed ... It doesn't need to be this hard. There's nothing fancy going on out there that requires all of this stuff."

Miller complained about access to the event. "When they told me I was inducted they said 'You have two tickets, one for your wife and one for yourself.' ... What about my band? What about their wives?'"

He made other accusations concerning "legal work," and claimed, "They need to respect the artists they say they're honoring, which they don't."

When a press representative tried to wrap up the session, Miller became frustrated.

"No, we're not going to wrap this up ... Here's what you need to know: This is how close this show came to not happening because of how the artists are being treated right now.." Then he announced, "I'll wrap it up," and walked off...

Still more.

Bernie Sanders Wins Again (VIDEO)

He's won, what, 8 out of the last 9 contests?

At the Hill, via Memeorandum, "Sanders extends win streak with Wyoming victory."

Texas Rangers Hammer Matt Shoemaker

Not the best outing, not by a long-shot.

At LAT, "Matt Shoemaker lets Rangers get out of the gates fast in Angels' 7-3 loss."

Matt Shoemaker lets Rangers get out of the gates fast in Angels' 7-3 loss https://t.co/XBz6UY9ygg
— L.A. Times Sports (@latimessports) April 9, 2016

Kate Moss Honors the Rolling Stones in Her 37th Vogue U.K. Cover

At Fashionista, "MUST READ: KATE MOSS LANDS 37TH 'VOGUE' UK COVER.."

And at Vogue UK, "Kate Moss Covers May Vogue."

More, at Egotastic!, "Kate Moss Sweater Pokies for Vogue UK." (Zoom photo here.):

Back when I was in high school Kate Moss was THE supermodel. It's easy to see why. All these years later, she is still one of the sexiest women on the planet. In this spread for Vogue UK, you can see why. It must have been chilly when they took these pictures because she is nipping for realsies. She exemplifies the thin but slinky sexy silhouette.

Well, she also exemplified heroin-chic fashion druggy-culture, which wasn't cool, but let's just forget about that.

Kate Moss Is The Cover Girl Of Vogue May - https://t.co/kalLdTcoGp pic.twitter.com/qt3YvDkrVk
— POWER 107.9 LA (@POWER1079) April 4, 2016

Suspect in Epic Los Angeles Car Chase Was Trained to Drive by the U.S. Military (VIDEO)

Here's the backstory, "Wild car chase in rain includes 'doughnuts' on the 101, hugs and a TMZ tour bus."

And about the suspect's military training, at LAT, "Wheelman in epic L.A. car chase was trained to drive by the U.S. military":

Herschel Reynolds mesmerized TV viewers with a wild drive through Los Angeles that included skillfully performing doughnuts in the middle of Hollywood Boulevard and a teenage passenger busting out dance moves.

It now appears the 20-year-old can thank the U.S. Marine Corps for helping him hone some of his driving abilities.

The Pentagon confirmed Friday that Reynolds was a trained tactical driver for the Marines before being “prematurely discharged” in January. The U.S. military said Reynolds had served as a motor vehicle operator for the 1st Marine Logistics Group at Camp Pendleton. Reynolds served with the Marines for nearly two years as a private, according to military records.

“Reynold’s premature discharge and rank are indicative of the fact that the character of his service was incongruent with Marine Corps’ expectations and standards,” the Pentagon said.

Identified as the driver, Reynolds both horrified and delighted Angelenos for two hours Thursday during a televised chase that included a close call with a TMZ tour bus and ended with a hero’s welcome in a South L.A. neighborhood – with celebratory high-fives, hugs and selfies with a swelling crowd. Along with a 19-year-old passenger, Isaiah Young, Reynolds peacefully surrendered to sheriff’s deputies, who arrived minutes after he parked the rented Ford Mustang...

More.

And more video, via CBS News 2 Los Angeles, "TMZ Tour Bus Driver Caught Up In Bizarre Chase Speaks Out."

Funding for GOP National Convention Jeopardized Over Establishment Attacks on Donald Trump (VIDEO)

Hey, the GOPe deserves to have the big donors bail out.

If Reince and his cronies would have instead embraced Donald Trump, instead of excoriating him, they wouldn't be in this jam.

At LAT, "With Trump's rise, big donors and companies hesitate to commit money to the GOP convention":

GOP is trying to steal nomination from the winner (Trump) not block an insurgent catching up 2 frontrunner (Sanders) https://t.co/OGIsdbNEYq
— Ann Coulter (@AnnCoulter) April 9, 2016

With Donald Trump locked in a dogfight against much of the rest of the Republican Party, a lot of things are uncertain about the GOP’s convention in Cleveland in July.

Here’s a big one: Who will pay for it?

Four years ago, after Mitt Romney clinched the nomination, his fundraising team pulled in millions from GOP stalwarts to close a gap in money for the convention in Tampa, Fla. Sheldon Adelson, the casino mogul, gave $5 million. Energy billionaire and activist David Koch, Los Angeles media figure Jerry Perenchio and hedge fund billionaires Robert Mercer, Paul Singer and John Paulson each donated $1 million.

But Trump’s improbable success has blown a hole in that model of convention financing. Trump hasn’t built a fundraising network of his own and has spent much of the campaign sneering at rivals for being under the thumb of their big donors.

Some of the party’s big-dollar donors from four years ago, unhappy about the prospect of contributing to a chaotic or brokered convention, are holding onto their money. Blue chip corporations that helped underwrite the 2012 convention, including Microsoft and AT&T, are now facing a pressure campaign to stay away.

“All I can tell is there’s disenchantment with the whole system right now,” said Jay Zeidman, a Republican fundraiser from Houston. With his father, Fred, another big GOP donor, Jay Zeidman supported Jeb Bush and now is backing Sen. Ted Cruz.

“You can’t compare last time with where we are now, because we’re sort of in uncharted territory,” he said.

Trump supporters call concerns about paying for the convention mere hand-wringing by traditional party power brokers who fear being shut out.

“There’s a little heartburn on K Street,” Washington campaign consultant Barry Bennett, who has advised Trump, said, referring to the downtown Washington street that houses many lobbying and law firms. “It’s a lot of people who make their living based on proximity to power, if not access, so they’re threatened.”

The convention won’t be at risk, he said; Trump has enough rich friends to write checks...