Jennifer Delacruz's Wonderful Weather Forecast

I can't complain. It's been beautiful warm summer weather.

Here's the fabulous Ms. Jennifer, for ABC News 10 San Diego:

Shopping Today

At Amazon, Today's Deals. New deals. Every day. Shop our Deal of the Day, Lightning Deals and more daily deals and limited-time sales.

And especially, Echo Dot.

Also, Toshiba 50-inch 4K Ultra HD Smart LED TV with HDR - Fire TV Edition.

More, Rogue River Tactical: USMC Marine Tactical Folding Pocket Knife G10 Handle Sharp Tanto Blade Spring Assisted Military Knives EGA Elite Survival Semper Fi.

Here, Buck Knives 863 Selkirk Fixed Blade Knife with Fire Striker and Nylon Sheath.

More here, FLYTON Camping Cookware Outdoor Cooking Mess Kit Portable Lightweight Pots Pans Water Kettle Set for Backpacking Hiking Trekking Picnic Fishing Mountaineering.

Plus, Olive Drab Green Warm Wool Fire Retardent Blanket, 66 x 90 (80% Wool)-US Military.

And, Premium Horny Goat Weed Extract with Maca & Tribulus, Enhanced Energy Complex for Men & Women, 1000mg Epimedium with Icariins, Veggie Capsules.

Also, MusclePharm Combat Protein Powder - Essential blend of Whey, Isolate, Casein and Egg Protein with BCAA's and Glutamine for Recovery, Chocolate Milk, 4 Pound.

BONUS:  Katie Williams, Tell the Machine Goodnight: A Novel.

New Nina Agdal Bikini Shots

She's looks great!

At Drunken Stepfather, "NINA AGDAL BIKINI OF THE DAY."

Amazon’s Curious Case of the $2,630.52 Used Paperback

I see these exorbitantly priced books from time to time, and I totally dismiss them, because I can't believe someone would be stupid enough to pay these prices. I shop at public library used book sales, where most of my purchases are for 25 cents. At Amazon you might find the same book going for 200 times that.

At NYT:

Why is a bookseller on Amazon asking $2,000 for a 99-cent paperback? https://t.co/U4YGOV2Ap6

— NYTimes Tech (@nytimestech) July 16, 2018

SAN FRANCISCO — Many booksellers on Amazon strive to sell their wares as cheaply as possible. That, after all, is usually how you make a sale in a competitive marketplace.

Other merchants favor a counterintuitive approach: Mark the price up to the moon.

“Zowie,” the romance author Deborah Macgillivray wrote on Twitter last month after she discovered copies of her 2009 novel, “One Snowy Knight,” being offered for four figures. One was going for “$2,630.52 & FREE Shipping,” she noted. Since other copies of the paperback were being sold elsewhere on Amazon for as little as 99 cents, she was perplexed.

“How many really sell at that price? Are they just hoping to snooker some poor soul?” Ms. Macgillivray wrote in an email. She noted that her blog had gotten an explosion in traffic from Russia. “Maybe Russian hackers do this in their spare time, making money on the side,” she said.

Amazon is by far the largest marketplace for both new and used books the world has ever seen, and is also one of the most inscrutable. The retailer directly sells some books, while others are sold by third parties. The wild pricing happens with the latter.

Twelve Russian Indicted in Election Hacking Scandal (VIDEO)

At LAT, "12 Russians indicted in hacking of Clinton's campaign and computers handling voter registration."

And at the Hill, via Memeorandum, "Trump on Russia indictment: Why didn't Obama do something?"

Plus, a great Hannity monologue from last night:

Kate Upton and Alexis Ren Journey to Aruba (VIDEO)

Pretty much my favorite pair of ladies.

At Sports Illustrated Swimsuit:

Xamira Zuloaga

She's a "Chilean-born performance and plastic artist based in Portland, Oregon."

At Editorials Fashion Trends, "Xamira Zuloaga by Pierre Dal Corso."

And watch, "WET by Mise en Cage."

Cindy Crawford Bikini

Always nice to see --- the women's super amazing at 52.

At Drunken Stepfather, "CINDY CRAWFORD WET BIKINI IN MUSKOKA OF THE DAY."

And at London's Daily Mail, "Cindy Crawford flaunts figure in purple and white printed bikini during holiday in Canada."

Evelyn Taft's Mild Weekend Forecast

It's been really nice. Not too hot at all.

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

Shopping Today

Prime deals, at Amazon, Today's Deals. New deals. Every day. Shop our Deal of the Day, Lightning Deals and more daily deals and limited-time sales.

Also, Womens Sun Hat Foldable Floppy Travel Packable UV Summer Beach Straw Hats UPF50.

Plus, Hemlock Women Flat Shoes Leisure Boat Shoes Working Shoes Summer Beach Sandals Round Toe Shoes (US:8.5, Pink).

More, Utopia Towels Premium Quality Cabana Beach Towels - Pack of 4 Cabana Stripe Pool Towels (30 x 60 Inches) - Multi Color Towels with High Absorbency.

Still more, Banana Boat Sunscreen Sport Family Size Broad Spectrum Sun Care Sunscreen Lotion - SPF 50, 12 ounce.

And, Buck Knives 110 Famous Folding Hunter Knife with Genuine Leather Sheath.

Also, Premium Horny Goat Weed Extract with Maca & Tribulus, Enhanced Energy Complex for Men & Women, 1000mg Epimedium with Icariins, Veggie Capsules.

BONUS: Annie Proulx, Barkskins: A Novel.

New Poll Has Democrats Up 8-Points on the Generic Congressional Ballot

Up and down we go, where we stop nobody knows.

At Fox News, "Fox News Poll: Democrats ahead in election enthusiasm, interest -- and the vote":

Democrats are more interested in the upcoming midterm elections and more enthused to vote than usual, and that helps them to an 8-point edge in the generic congressional ballot test.  This amid widespread concern that the country’s political debate is overheated and even dangerous -- to the point that many voters steer clear of talking politics with family and friends.

Fifty-four percent of Democrats are “extremely” interested in the November elections, and 51 percent are more enthusiastic about voting than usual, according to the latest Fox News national poll.

Republicans trail on both measures:  47 percent are extremely interested and 42 percent are more enthused.

Here’s the take-away:  by a 48-40 percent margin, voters prefer the Democratic candidate in their congressional district over the Republican.  Democrats were up 48-39 percent last month.  The rule of thumb is the Democrats need to carry the generic ballot test by about 10 percentage points to take over the U.S. House this fall.

When the results are narrowed to only extremely interested voters, the Democratic advantage is 13 points:  54-41 percent.

“Things seem to move day to day, but the prevailing political wind favors the Democrats right now,” says Republican pollster Daron Shaw, who conducts the survey with Democrat Chris Anderson.

“There’s still a lot of time until Election Day, but we’re close enough that polls like this should worry the Republicans.”

There’s a 14-point interest gap between Republican men and women, as 53 percent of GOP men are extremely interested, while 39 percent of GOP women say the same.

Among Democrats, 54 percent of men and 53 percent of women are extremely interested...

The election's still months away. I don't think Dems should get too excited, especially if they're planing on running and "Abolish ICE" platform.

But read the rest at the link.

Giant Baby Trump Blimp for Anti-Trump Protests in the U.K. (VIDEO)

At Vanity Fair, "Giant Baby Trump Balloon May Follow Trump All Over the U.K."

Alexis Ren Working It!

She's on Twitter.

And at Hollywood Tuna, "Alexis Ren Is Working Hard On Her Booty Pump!"

Also at Drunken Stepfather, "ALEXIS REN OF THE DAY":

This picture of Alexis Ren is hilarious because she had someone take it, looked at it, loved it, and posted it…knowing that people would be excited by it, knowing that despite it being pretty fucking aggressive, it’s what the people want…and she’s not going to be the one to not give it to them…so here she is giving it to them….I mean I’ve seen butt shots, I’ve seen over the shoulder butt shots, I’ve seen it all, I’ve probably even seen this pose..but it’s so hardcore, hard to believe she was one of the most followed “influencers”…I mean not really with posts like this…it’s the kind of thing I want to follow…

Sandra Kubicka

Another Instagram hottie.

At Drunken Stepfather, "SANDRA KUBICKA PHOTOSHOOT OF THE DAY."

Allie Stuckey vs. Tomi Lahren

Two blonde babes on the issues. The difference here is that Ms. Allie's an intellectual. She's hot, but she's not only smart but she's book-learned, especially Bible-learned. Ms. Tomi's not stupid, but she's more of an enraging personality. She makes strong points and gets you fired up. Sadly though no one is buying her pro-choice positions. She sounds rather pathetic about it, in fact.

Following-up from the other day, "Tomi Lahren Goes Off the Rails on Kavanaugh and the Right to Life (VIDEO)."

Oh, girl. The fact that you think overturning Roe v Wade has anything to do with religion shows how ignorant you are about the constitution & abortion itself.

Also, now YOU are dictating what conservatives should stand for? No thanks. https://t.co/TboXZQ37gI

— Allie Beth Stuckey (@conservmillen) July 11, 2018

Former Planned Parenthood president Cecile Richards said that she fears the fate of Roe v. Wade, with Trump's selection of Judge Kavanaugh.
Good.

Listen and SUBSCRIBE to @ConservMillen's podcast:https://t.co/QA2I31rA8v pic.twitter.com/wSlEg7ZuTH

— CRTV (@CRTV) July 11, 2018

President Trump Throws NATO Into Crisis (VIDEO)

Well, maybe NATO was already in crisis. Trump is just lifting the lid off.

At LAT, "Trump throws NATO summit into crisis mode with demands, before switching and claiming victory":

President Trump threw the annual NATO summit into crisis Thursday — forcing an emergency session and suggesting the United States could leave the nearly 70-year-old alliance — before switching positions and claiming victory.

As the summit closed, the president held an unexpected news conference, taking credit for having secured firmer commitments from all 28 other member nations to increase their spending on defense.

Other leaders, however, denied that NATO members had made any significantly new commitments to spending beyond what they’d agreed to in 2014, under some pressure from President Obama.

French President Emmanuel Macron, in his own closing news conference, said NATO members had made no new commitments. He also said that Trump "never at any moment, either in public or in private, threatened to withdraw from NATO."

From Brussels, Trump headed next to Britain on a diplomatic tour that will end Monday in Helsinki, Finland, with his first official meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Before departing for London, however, he sent some undiplomatic advance signals in his news conference — calling Britain a “hotspot,” noting the resignations that have threatened Prime Minister Theresa May’s government and questioning whether her “Brexit” plan for Britain’s withdrawal from the European Union is what British voters want.

Trump at NATO’s close cast himself as a savior in a crisis of his own making. Yet in declaring victory and agreeing to sign a closing declaration — emphasizing joint defense against Russia — Trump avoided the debacle that he made of last month’s summit of the Group of 7 industrialized powers in Canada. There, as he flew off, he tweeted his withdrawal from the summit’s final statement and hurled insults at host Justin Trudeau, the Canadian prime minister, for his perceived slights.

In Brussels, Trump said that the NATO members committed to meet the already agreed-to goal of allocating an amount equal to 2% of each nation's gross domestic product toward defense spending, and that he would like to see the benchmark raised to 4% eventually.

"Yesterday, I let them know I was extremely unhappy with what was happening. And now we're very happy. We have a very powerful, very strong NATO — much stronger than it was two days ago,” Trump said at the 35-minute news conference here...

More.

Ben Shapiro's Legal Team Shuts Down 'Cock Boy' Appeal

Interesting.

At Twitchy, via Instapundit, "LED BY SUPERLAWYER KURT SCHLICHTER: Our long national nightmare is over: Ben Shapiro’s legal team cleans Clock Boy’s clock in appeals court."

Fishing Girls Trip (VIDEO)

Via Theo Spark:

University of California Boosts Transfer Admissions

This is interesting.

And it's very helpful for me as a professor, because with efforts by U.C. to increase transfers, and real data on the increased numbers, I can better prod my students to work hard toward attending the U.C. system.

At LAT, "UC opens doors to record number of Californians, led by growth in transfer students":

UC opens doors to record number of Californians, led by growth in transfer students https://t.co/COB6Cbm8NY pic.twitter.com/xvz9Syf0xo

— Los Angeles Times (@latimes) July 11, 2018

The University of California opened its doors to a record number of Californians for fall 2018, led by growth in transfer students from across the state, according to preliminary data released Wednesday.

The public research university’s nine undergraduate campuses offered seats to 95,654 Californians, nearly 3,000 more students than last year. Overall, UC admitted about three-fifths of the 221,788 California, out-of-state and international students who applied.

“After reviewing yet another record-breaking number of applications, our campuses have offered admission to an exceptionally talented group of students,” UC President Janet Napolitano said in a statement. “With the benefit of a UC education, these accomplished young people from different backgrounds, with diverse beliefs and aspirations, will make California and the world a better place.”

The data reflect UC’s stepped-up efforts to reach more deeply across California for community college students, as it responds to growing pressure from Gov. Jerry Brown and the Legislature to open access for more residents.

Brown has long advocated the transfer option as a cheaper alternative to a four-year degree at a time the state is projected to face a 1.1-million shortfall in college-educated workers by 2030, and he has used his budget power to prod UC to adjust its admission policies. In recent years, state elected officials also have successfully pressed UC to boost enrollment of Californians and limit out-of-state and international students.

The mix of offers for freshmen and transfer students slightly shifted this year in response to such pressure. Most campuses increased offers to California transfer students and decreased them for freshmen.

UCLA, for instance, admitted 562 fewer freshmen but 64 more transfer students this year. Berkeley, Merced, Riverside, Santa Barbara and Santa Cruz also boosted their admission offers to state transfer students. Offers to California freshmen were down at Berkeley, Irvine, San Diego and Santa Cruz in addition to UCLA.

“Transfer students are the future of our university,” said Youlonda Copeland-Morgan, UCLA vice provost of enrollment management.

One of them is Francisco Cruz Tapia, a 24-year-old transfer student from Moreno Valley College who plans to study computer engineering at UCLA this fall. He said he chose to start at a community college to stay closer to family and save money. His costs were minimal, he said, because he lived at home and received a fee waiver for his classes.

At UCLA, his tuition and fees will be covered by Cal Grant and university aid, but he said he’ll need to pay rent in the pricey Westwood area. Cruz Tapia said, however, that the costs will be worth it for a chance to pursue his research interests in artificial intelligence.

“It was really challenging to transfer because I had to take a lot of math and physics classes, but I’m excited to go to one of the top universities in the nation,” Cruz Tapia said.

UCLA particularly focused on recruiting in the Central Valley this year as part of a joint effort between UC and California Community Colleges to increase students from areas with historically low transfer rates. Under the partnership, launched in September 2016, the college system gave UC $2.6 million to help students at 39 of its 114 community colleges become more competitive applicants.

Copeland-Morgan said the campus chose to work with four Central Valley colleges — San Joaquin Delta, Bakersfield, Solano and Reedley — because students there are more geographically isolated, often low-income and the first in their families to attend college. Many have less access to the resources and information needed to succeed in the competitive world of college admissions, she said.

Her recruiters made multiple trips to the colleges to help students and counselors understand how to become not only eligible but also competitive for UC admissions. UC requires a minimum 2.4 GPA for California transfer applicants, but Copeland-Morgan said most successful UCLA applicants have at least a 3.6 GPA..

UCLA boosted applications from those colleges by 29% and admission offers by 34% this year. Overall, the Westwood campus admitted students from 109 state community colleges...

RTWT.

Taylor Swift Bikini Shots

She looks good, healthy.

At Drunken Stepfather, "TAYLOR SWIFT IN A BIKINI WITH THEM TITS ON OF THE DAY."

Also, at the Sun U.K., "NAVEL GAZING: Taylor Swift shows off her rarely-seen belly button in a bikini on romantic holiday with boyfriend Joe Alwyn: After years of reluctance towards wearing clothes that show her navel, the pop star has exposed her stomach to fans."