Tuesday, April 25, 2017

'Assuming I did not botch the task, by the time this posts I will have been dead via suicide for several hours...'

Will H. Moore, a professor of political science at Arizona State, took his life last week, and, most dramatically, scheduled a blog post to go live a couple of hours after he planned to complete the deed.

His blog's still up (search "Will Moore blog" if you're up for reading it).

I cribbed the opening quotation from his scheduled post from Inside Higher Ed, "Aftermath of a Professor's Suicide: A death this week leads to renewed discussions about academics and mental health."



Monday, April 24, 2017

Danielle Gersh's Warming Weather Forecast

We saw low 70s today in coastal L.A. and Orange County, but that might be a short reprieve from the heat.

Here's the lovely Ms. Danielle, with the tightest pink dress ever, heh.

For CBS News 2 Los Angeles:



Michelle Malkin with Sean Hannity

Following-up from this morning, "Debbie Schlussel is Psycho Scum."

Beautiful.


James J. Rawls, Chief Red Fox Is Dead

Rawls' Indians of California: The Changing Image is good. I'm a couple of chapters invested. It reads casually, like an entry-level textbook, and is interesting and informative.

Hence, let me recommend his second book, James J. Rawls, Chief Red Fox Is Dead: A History of Native Americans Since 1945.

I have no doubt this one's a pleasure to read as well.

(I still have much more on California's Indians to post, so stay tuned --- and thanks for your support.)

ICYMI: Jean-Yves Camus and Nicolas Lebourg, Far-Right Politics in Europe

At Amazon, Jean-Yves Camus and Nicolas Lebourg, Far-Right Politics in Europe.

For Calexico, the Border's Just a Line to Cross

At the Los Angeles Times:


Wheaton College Student Killed at 'Hammer Throw' Track and Field Event (VIDEO)

Dang, you gotta keep your bearings man!

You could get killed out there, and this dude did. He got hit in the head.

At CNN, "Student killed at track and field event: A 19-year-old college student died after being hit in the head while standing near a hammer throw event."

Jennifer Delacruz's Patchy Fog Forecast

Here's Ms. Jennifer from last night.

She's so lovely and can't resist her.



French Political Parties Unify Against Le Pen: 'This Is Deadly Serious Now'

The French are forming the "Republican Front" against the National Front, as I predicted earlier.

Following-up from yesterday, "'It is worth underlining that this is the first time in modern French history that neither of the mainstream centre-right or centre-left parties of government that have governed France since the second world war have qualified for the second round of a presidential election...'"

At the New York Times:


Debbie Schlussel is Psycho Scum

I thought this woman died.

Seriously, I haven't heard of her in years, thinking that she'd dropped off this mortal coil.

She needs to drop off, and fast.

Apparently Hannity has issued a rapid and blistering denial and denunciation.

At NYDN, via Memeorandum, "Former Fox News contributor Debbie Schlussel claims host Sean Hannity invited her back to his hotel room."

And at Lawnewz:


Sunday, April 23, 2017

James Fenimore Cooper, The Last of the Mohicans

I'm about a third of the way through this book.

At Amazon, James Fenimore Cooper, The Last of the Mohicans.

I had a copy on my shelf years ago, but never read it. But since Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz excoriates the novel with a most-certainly unsurpassed hatred, I thought I'd go ahead and power it down. I can see why it remains one of the greatest of American classics. Cooper's a fantastic writer. The building excitement of so many of the dramatic scenes truly earns whatever historic praise he's been afforded. Indeed, I think I'll read some of the others in the pentology, The Deerslayer, most likely, to start.

Danielle Gersh's Cooler Forecast

Well, temperatures hit the 90s inland this weekend, so no doubt lots of folks will be welcoming a bit of a cool-down.

Here's the lovely Ms. Danielle, for CBS News 2 Los Angeles:



Sunday Cartoons

At Flopping Aces, "Sunday Funnies."

Branco Cartoons photo Killing-O-reilly-600a-CI_zps6pufu5ec.jpg

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

Cartoon Credit: A.F. Branco, "Killing O'Reilly."

Kenza Fourati Body Painting (VIDEO)

At Sports Illustrated:



Madison Reed Selfies

At Drunken Stepfather, "MADISON REED’S SLUTTY SELFIES OF THE DAY: Madison Reed is apparently Victoria Justice’s sister, both are pretty hot..."

Four-Year-Old Girl Falls Out of Moving Bus on Highway, Rescued by Volunteer Firefighter (VIDEO)

How could this possibly happen?

Who's supervising the children?

That child is lucky to be alive.

At CNN:



Shop Deals

At Amazon, Today's Deals.

Save on Women's Keds Shoes.

Also, Shop Ray-Ban Sunglasses.

And, Savings on Kindle Books. Plus, check savings on Faye Kellerman's books in Kindle, in particular.

More, Mountain House Just In Case...Essential Bucket.

Still more, AmazonBasics Apple Certified Lightning to USB Cable - 6 Feet (1.8 Meters) - Black.

BONUS: J.M. Opal, Avenging the People: Andrew Jackson, the Rule of Law, and the American Nation.

Bernie Sanders Wants Democrats to Focus on Economic Populism, Not Social Justice Cultural Marxism (VIDEO)

Following-up from Friday, "What Defines a Democrat?"

Here's more background on the conflict, at Politico, "DNC rally with anti-abortion candidate fuels backlash." And from Melissa McEwan, at Shakesville, "Bernie Sanders, My Autonomy Is Not Negotiable." (Via Memeorandum.) (Ms. Melissa probably gives the perfect argument for the left's social just position. Economic issues just aren't as important as social issues.)

I have to admit I still get a kick out of Bernie, even though he's a doctrinaire Marxist. Frankly, I love him taking it to the radical left's social justice warriors, hammering 'em on the very things that have caused the political obliteration of the Democrats.

Here's his interview on this morning's Face the Nation:



'It is worth underlining that this is the first time in modern French history that neither of the mainstream centre-right or centre-left parties of government that have governed France since the second world war have qualified for the second round of a presidential election...'

That is well worth underlining. The mainstream political establishment is bankrupt. My only sense is that this Macron dude is also bankrupt, and he'll just bury France in the socialist dead end left over from François Hollande.

At the Guardian U.K., "French election: Emmanuel Macron and Marine Le Pen estimated through to second round – live - Independent centrist Macron estimated to have taken 23.7% of vote with Front National leader Le Pen on 21.7%; official results to follow."

And at Blazing Cat Fur, "France faces its own EU referendum as far-right leader Marine Le Pen, who supports an exit, and Europhile Emmanuel Macron split the first-round vote to go head to head in presidential elections."

President Trump's Approval Holds Steady with Base of Supporters

He's otherwise down in approval, but there a virtually imperceptible drop in support from his hardcore base.

At WaPo, via Memeorandum, "Nearing 100 days, Trump's approval at record lows but his base is holding":

President Trump nears the 100-day mark of his administration as the least popular chief executive in modern times, a president whose voters remain largely satisfied with his performance, but one whose base of support has not expanded since he took the oath of office, according to a new Washington Post-ABC News poll.

Trump’s first months in office have produced some tangible successes. Beyond the continued enthusiasm of his most loyal supporters, a small majority of Americans see him as a strong leader. A bigger majority approves of his efforts to pressure U.S. companies to keep jobs in this country. Those who say the economy is getting better outnumber those who say it’s getting worse by the biggest margin in 15 years in Post-ABC polling.

But the president’s balance sheet overall tilts toward the negative. Majorities of Americans say Trump has not accomplished much during his first months as president. Meanwhile, he shows little improvement on his temperament and honesty, and while he’s gained ground on empathy, over 6 in 10 still say he does not understand the problems of people like them.

With a week remaining before his 100th day in office, Trump has yet to achieve a major legislative accomplishment, having been dealt a major setback when Republicans in Congress decided not to proceed with a vote on a health-care bill supported by the White House. His clearest achievement is the successful nomination of Neil M. Gorsuch to the Supreme Court seat previously held by conservative Justice Antonin Scalia.

Executive actions on trade, immigration, climate and government organization have pointed the direction he wants to take the country, though his controversial proposed travel ban that affects a number of Muslim-majority nations remains blocked by the courts. Trump and others in his administration have attacked the courts, accusing them of overreach, but nearly 6 in 10 people see their actions as a legitimate role for the judicial branch.

Overseas, he has demonstrated his willingness to use military force, with targeted strikes in Syria and the use of one of the biggest non-nuclear devices in the U.S. arsenal in Afghanistan. But tensions with North Korea remain high and the administration’s policy in the Middle East remains cloudy.

The 100-day marker is in part an artificial measuring post for any president, but by comparison, Trump has reached this point in his presidency faring worse to much worse than other recent presidents. An electorate that was deeply divided throughout the 2016 campaign remains so today, with opposition seemingly hardened and unyielding on most questions regarding his presidency...
Trump's doing fine. You have to remember that the entire political world is stacked up against him, and that includes foreign governments and their leftist mass-media enablers.

As long as he holds the base, he'll be fine. And with the economy chugging along, and with the administration's outward support for American workers, I expect he'll be cruising into 2020 if things hold up.

Maybe Roger Simon will be a winning prognosticator.

Still more.