Fredrik Backman, A Man Called Ove

*BUMPED.*

At Amazon, Fredrik Backman, A Man Called Ove: A Novel.

Thomas Pynchon, Bleeding Edge

*BUMPED.*

At Amazon, Thomas Pynchon, Bleeding Edge: A Novel.

Jennifer Delacruz's Mild and Comfortable Forecast

For Sunday, from the fabulous Ms. Jennifer, at ABC News 10 San Diego:

Catherine Merridale, Lenin on the Train

At Amazon, Catherine Merridale, Lenin on the Train.

Gal Gadot Won't Do 'Wonder Woman' Sequels Unless Brett Ratner is Out

She's so fine, heh.

She's got power too. Say goodbye to this loser Brett Ratner.

At the New York Post, at Memeorandum, "Gal Gadot will only be ‘Wonder Woman’ again if Brett Ratner is out."

PHOTO CREDIT: Wikimedia.

Stephen R. Lawhead, The Iron Lance

I have Stephen R. Lawhead, Byzantium, at my bedside, waiting for the winter break to read.

But see also, Stephen R. Lawhead, The Iron Lance (The Celtic Crusades #1).

Ken Follett, The Pillars of the Earth

I'm really excited to read his latest, Ken Follett, A Column of Fire, but it's part 3 in a trilogy, so you gotta start at the beginning.

Here, Ken Follett, The Pillars of the Earth: A Novel (Kingsbridge).

Patrick Rothfuss, The Name of the Wind

Okay, today I'm reading Robert Jordan, The Eye of the World (The Wheel of Time, Book 1), and Ken Davenport, The Two Gates.

I've been collecting more fantasy novels, though, and will be able to get to some of them over the winter break, and next summer.

For example, Patrick Rothfuss, The Name of the Wind.

Don't Disagree with Google!

I didn't blog about this at the time, I guess because there's plenty of competition in the leftist anti-freedom agenda. But James Damore's case is especially troubling.

Here's his paper, "Google's Ideological Echo Chamber." (And at the Federalist, "Read the Google Memo That Everyone Is Freaking Out About.")

And at Prager U:

George Takei Accused of Sexually Assault

Somehow this particular allegation is the most satisfying. George Takei is a disgusting far-left partisan, and now shown to be an epic hypocrite.

At the Hollywood Reporter:

George Takei accused of sexually assaulting former model in 1981 https://t.co/ZiL5AmMPAP pic.twitter.com/PBth567KIu

— Hollywood Reporter (@THR) November 11, 2017

Is that the technique that you used? pic.twitter.com/gCzKMuUasY

— Arthur Schwartz (@ArthurSchwartz) November 11, 2017

Devin Brugman Red Bikini

She's so sweet.

Which should I️ post on IG? Right or left? ❤️ pic.twitter.com/b7XMLrLbEQ

— Devin Brugman (@devinbrugman) November 9, 2017

Natasha Oakley Nipples in White Dress

At Taxi Driver:

Natasha Oakley Nipples in Wet See Through White Dress - https://t.co/L1zrjjFPOz - pic.twitter.com/usAnfM18bQ

— Taxi Driver (@TaxiDriverMovie) November 10, 2017

Caroline Wozniacki Body Paint (VIDEO)

Nice!

Crystal Renn Almost Loses Her Top (VIDEO)

At Sports Illustrated Swimsuit:

Tesla Tells Hundreds of Workers to Take a Hike, You're No Good

Tesla pfft.

I don't like that company.

At LAT, "Hundreds of Tesla workers were let go for subpar performance, the company says":

Outside #Tsla showroom in Walnut Creek, CA. Looks like alot of people are upset, even customers#model3delayed #whyelon pic.twitter.com/hDjwx2uS18

— Charlie (@TSLAEE) October 15, 2017

Firing hundreds of workers all at once is rare, at least in the auto industry. But Tesla Inc. does things differently.

Word leaked out Friday that the electric car, battery and solar roof company had bulk-fired several hundred employees.

The San Jose Mercury News, which broke that story, said Tesla made clear that workers were dismissed for subpar performance, not laid off. Layoffs tend be blamed on business conditions or overstuffed payrolls, not on job performance.

It's unclear how many of the company's 33,000 workers were cut. Tesla won't pinpoint the number. News reports put it between 400 and 1,200.

A factory employee told the Mercury News that about 60 fellow workers were told to head for the exit. The company said, however, that most of those dismissed work in administrative and sales jobs.

Some workers at the Tesla plant have been trying to organize a union.

"I had great performance reviews. I don't believe I was fired for performance," said Daniel Grant, who told The Times he's worked at Fremont factory since 2014 as a production assistant. He suspects he was fired because he raised safety issues and supported a union drive.

"The company didn't show me or others our most recent reviews when they fired us," Grant said. "I would like the company to release our full reviews, including peer reviews, to us."

An assembly line worker, Mike Williams, said his firing last week could not be the result of a bad performance review because, in his last review in 2016, "my supervisor had nothing but good things to say about me."

Other fired workers were treated the same, he said. "Our reviews were due in June. In June they told us they would be in August. In September they told us October."

Williams said he received a disciplinary write-up about a year ago for playing music that contained profanity but stopped when he was ordered to.
He was fired, he believes, because he spoke up about safety issues at employee meetings and because he wore a union shirt on what's become Union Shirt Friday for some workers at the Telsa plant. "I had a union sticker on my water bottle, too," he said.

Tesla declined to discuss the claims of either fired worker...

More.

Cadillac's CTS-V is High-End Hooligan

I never thought I'd get a Caddy, but this puppy could change my mind, lol.

At LAT, "Cadillac's CTS-V is a high-end hooligan that doubles as a daily driver":

Cadillac's CTS-V is a mild-mannered monster, a Clark Kent car that transforms instantly from milquetoast sedan to high-horsepower track master.

Moderately styled inside and out but massive under the hood, the CTS-V represents Cadillac's ambition to build the perfect all-around performance car — or what the company calls "the ultimate sports sedan."

"This is a car for someone who wants a car that can do everything," said Tony Roma, chief engineer for Cadillac's ATS, CTS and V-series family. "They don't want a fleet full of sports cars and luxury cars."

Cadillac has stuffed the CTS-V with sports car and luxury car appointments.

The four-door, five-passenger sedan is propelled by a 6.2-liter supercharged V-8 engine, jointly designed by engineers from Cadillac and its GM sibling Corvette, that makes 640 horsepower and 630 pound-feet of torque.

The CTS-V engineers said they were trying for the throttle response of a Ferrari 458 and an engine growl that "barked with a special signature," helped in part by the quad exhaust system.

Check off that box. The rear-wheel-drive CTS-V is a rubber-burning, tail-wagging hooligan car.

The eight-speed transmission comes with a track mode and a launch control function. (The daily driver modes are Touring and Sport.) The 19-inch wheels are clad in performance tires. A front splitter and rear spoiler come standard.

Together, those elements allow this refined rocket to jet from zero to 60 miles per hour in a claimed 3.7 seconds, on the way to a top speed of 200 miles per hour.

Brembo brake calipers bring the vehicle back to earth. A magnetic ride control suspension system keeps it stable. A head-up display keeps the driver's eyes on the road, and the magnesium paddle shifters allow for a pleasantly engaged drive experience.

Of course, not all buyers will be ready to take advantage of the power, speed and handling of the CTS-V. So, Cadillac has thoughtfully included in the price of the car two days of "performance training" at a race track...

Keep reading.

I'd like to got to the race track, heh.

Today's Deals

At Amazon, Today's Shopping.

See especially, Hanover 41000 BTU Square Wicker Propane Patio Heater, 7', Brown/Hammered Bronze.

And, Cell Phone Stand, Lamicall S1 Dock : Cradle, Holder, Stand For Switch, all Android Smartphone, iPhone 6 6s 7 8 X Plus 5 5s 5c charging, Accessories Desk - Black.

More, LUENX Aviator Sunglasses Polarized Men Women with Accessories Metal Frame UV 400 Driving Fashion 60MM.

Here, AmazonBasics Lightning to USB A Cable - Apple MFi Certified - Black - 6 Feet /1.8 Meters.

Also, Acer Aspire E 15 E5-575-33BM 15.6-Inch FHD Notebook (Intel Core i3-7100U 7th Generation, 4GB DDR4, 1TB 5400RPM HD, Intel HD Graphics 620, Windows 10 Home), Obsidian Black.

Plus, Timberland White Ledge Men's Waterproof Boot.

Still more, Dickies Men's Sanded Duck Sherpa Lined Hooded Jacket.

BONUS: David Priestland, The Red Flag: A History of Communism.

Homeless People Cleared Out from Santa Ana River Trail

Brutal.

At LAT, "'It's been a night from hell': Homeless pushed out of Santa Ana River face uncertain futures": 

Lisa Weber pushed her red-rimmed glasses higher on the bridge of her nose Thursday morning as she pondered how best to move her belongings off the dirt trail she has called home for months.
Her blue eyes seemed to show a glimmer of hope in contrast with her doleful expression. A friend living in a tent farther down the trail passed by and waved.

Like other parts of California, Orange County has seen an uptick in its homeless population in recent years. Scores of homeless people who have set up camp in the past year along the quiet trail overlooking the Santa Ana River in Fountain Valley feel they’ve found safety and camaraderie there.

However, beginning Friday, Orange County sheriff’s deputies began evictions at the various homeless camps along the river as part of a crackdown sparked by complaints from nearby residents.

The situation underscores the tension created by the homeless surge in this suburban county, where officials removed bus benches near Disneyland after complaints from merchants and where a massive encampment in the Santa Ana Civic Center has sparked debate.

Many homeless people are now scrambling to figure out where to go next.

The county plans to permanently close the west side of the Santa Ana River flood-control channel between 17th Street in Santa Ana and Adams Avenue in Huntington Beach as it prepares to start maintenance of flood-control district property along the trail, officials have said. That area includes the Fountain Valley encampment.

“I’m on my way out the gate,” Weber said as she looked toward the fence at the entrance to the river trail on Edinger Avenue. “I’m not scared because I have a plan, but I know other people are worried about where to go.”

Weber said she likely will begin sleeping in her Oldsmobile, which she recently bought for $100. The car runs, she said, but not very well. She’s afraid it eventually will be impounded because of child support she owes from decades ago.

But right now, she figures it’s her best option...

More.

Joseph Wheelan, Midnight in the Pacific

At Amazon, Joseph Wheelan, Midnight in the Pacific: Guadalcanal — The World War II Battle That Turned the Tide of War.

Thomas Ricks Reviews Victor Davis Hanson's, The Second World Wars

At the New York Times, "World War II Seen by a Classicist, and Other New Books About Conflict":

As Thomas E. Ricks observes, some books look at war through a telescope, others through a microscope https://t.co/j7moEUyIA9

— New York Times Books (@nytimesbooks) November 9, 2017

For humanity in general, the low point of the 20th century was World War II, which Victor Davis Hanson accurately portrays as an unprecedented global bloodbath, killing about three percent of all human beings who were alive in 1939. Hanson, the Martin and Illie Anderson senior fellow in classics and military history at Stanford University’s Hoover Institution, has a mixed reputation among military historians — essentially, it is that the further he wanders from his academic specialty of ancient Greek history, the less reliable he becomes. (For the details, see John A. Lynn’s “Battle: A History of Combat and Culture.”)

So I picked up Hanson’s THE SECOND WORLD WARS: How the First Global Conflict Was Fought and Won (Basic Books, $40) with some trepidation. To my surprise, I found it lively and provocative, full of the kind of novel perceptions that can make a familiar subject interesting again. It wouldn’t make a good introduction to World War II, but it may win readers already familiar with the conflict’s events.

Much of the book is written at the level of the strategic overview. Hanson notes, for instance, that both Germany and Japan probably would have won the war had they stopped early in 1941 and consolidated their gains in Europe and the western Pacific, without Germany attacking Russia and Japan pulling the United States into the conflict.

One of Hanson’s running themes is that the Allied victors mainly killed German and Japanese soldiers, while the Axis focused more on killing civilians. Over all, in its accounting of the global carnage, this book amounts to an ode in praise of deterrence and against appeasement and isolationism.

Hanson is most original and enjoyable when he uses his professional background in ancient history to illuminate 20th-century war...

More.