Graham Greene, The Human Factor

At Amazon, Graham Greene, The Human Factor (Penguin Classics).

Georgia Gibbs Wet T-Shirt (VIDEO)

At Sports Illustrated Swimsuit.

Facebook Shares Tumble; Mark Zuckerberg Hardest Hit

Hehe.

I haven't checked my Facebook feed all summer. I don't care about it anymore.

And I certainly don't care about Mark Zuckerberg. He lost $16 billion in personal market value today? Well, that's just too bad. I'm all torn up about it.

At Bloomberg, "Zuckerberg Loses $16.8 Billion in a Snap as Facebook Plunges."

Lolz. It's hard out there for a social media surveillance shark, hehe: 😂🤪🤣 #MarkZuckerberg is counting the cost of user disenchantment with #Facebook Inc. https://t.co/m5SjUglO4u

— Donald Douglas (@AmPowerBlog) July 26, 2018

Amazing Lindsey Pelas

She's incredible.

Green-eyed Bayou Beauty 🌻 🌾😗 pic.twitter.com/sVuY9AKjlu

— Lindsey Pelas (@LindseyPelas) July 10, 2018

More here and here.

Bernard Malamud, The Fixer

At Amazon, Bernard Malamud, The Fixer: A Novel.

Isaac Bashevis Singer, The Penitent

At Amazon, Isaac Bashevis Singer, The Penitent: A Novel.

Nice Photos

At Theo's, "Pic Dump..."

Megan Parry's Heat Advisory Forecast

It's more humid than a couple weeks ago, but still doesn't seem as hot as that one day when it was 109. That was a nightmare. The power went out on us.

At ABC News 10 San Diego:

Breannah Black Bikini Curves

At Egotastic, "Breannah Black’s Ridiculous Bikini Curves Are the Perfect Thing."

Jennifer Aniston Sunbathing

At Taxi Driver, "Jennifer Aniston Sunbathing in Blue Bikini."

Allie Beth Stuckey Will Not Apologize for Hilarious Satirical Interview with Alexandria Ocasio Cortez (VIDEO)

Following-up, "Allie Beth Stuckey's Satirical Interview with Alexandria Ocasio Cortez Gets Over One Million Views on Facebook -- and Leftists Are Furious!"

Here she is:

No, @ConservMillen will not apologize to the liberal mob just because she made a joke.

Nor should she. We can't let the #FauxOutrage from the LEFT to become weaponized.

Watch Allie at CRTV:https://t.co/f6Lmpu9LhY pic.twitter.com/N4rueRFBow

— CRTV (@CRTV) July 25, 2018

LAPD Releases Video of Trader Joe's Firefight

The police department was already taken heat for engage the suspect even before it was known whether a police officer's weapon killed the store manager.

Now it's confirmed, and oh boy, what a nightmare public relations scenario.

At LAT, "A wild chase, a gun battle, then tragedy as officer's bullet kills Trader Joe's employee":

Two Los Angeles police officers tore through traffic on Rowena Avenue on Saturday afternoon in a high-speed pursuit of an attempted murder suspect driving a Toyota Camry.

Suddenly, the back window of the Camry shattered.

Forty-five seconds later, the Camry veered into a utility pole in front of a Trader Joe’s and the driver bolted for the entrance, firing his gun wildly from his hip, according to dashboard and body-cam footage released by the Los Angeles Police Department on Tuesday.

The officers had less than two seconds to react before the gunman fled into a store full of shoppers. But a bad shot could hit a bystander. The video showed a man by the entrance and another behind the wreck, but not who was behind the glass front doors.

The officers opened fire. The suspect was hit in the arm but made it into the store, shooting at least three times at police from inside. A beloved Trader Joe’s manager, Melyda Corado, 27, died in the shootout.

On Tuesday, the police chief announced that one of the officers’ bullets had killed her.

“On behalf of myself and the rest of the department, I want to express my deepest condolences and sympathy to her family and everyone that knew her,” Chief Michel Moore said of Corado. “I know that it’s every officer’s worst nightmare to hurt an innocent bystander during a violent engagement. I spoke with the officers this morning — they’re devastated. They were devastated in the immediate aftermath of this event.”

Moore said she was coming out of the market and was close to the suspect. Gene Atkins, who allegedly had shot his grandmother earlier Saturday, survived the gunshot wound and surrendered to authorities hours later. No one else was injured...

More.

Heatwave Stokes Fear of Power Outages

That's a legitimate fear, considering that the power went out a couple of weeks ago when the mercury hit 109.

(As for wildfires, we've always had them in California, because we've always had the Santa Anas.)

At LAT, "'This is what the future looks like': Heat wave stokes fears of power outages and fires":

"This is what the future looks like": Heat wave stokes fears of power outages and fires https://t.co/4BGi7QYUst pic.twitter.com/F7pUPY4siu

— Los Angeles Times (@latimes) July 25, 2018

When a blistering heat wave struck the Southland earlier this month, the region’s electric grid was so overwhelmed that more than 100,000 customers in Los Angeles had at some point lost power. Some went days without electricity.

Now, as Southern California endures another round of scorching heat that forecasters expect will shatter daily records in some areas on Wednesday, utility officials are hoping to avoid similar chaos by staffing extra workers and imploring residents to ease up on their thermostats to give the aging power system a chance to cool down.

“It’s similar to running your car at 100 mph, nonstop,” said Los Angeles Department of Water and Power spokesman Joe Ramallo, referring to those who blast their air conditioning day and night. “Eventually, you’re going to have some problems. Distribution equipment is like that — it needs a break.”

Southern California Edison, which brings power to much of the region, is also urging people to reduce their electricity use during peak hours. State officials have issued a Flex Alert, calling on the public to turn off unnecessary lights and hold off on running major appliances until late in the evening Wednesday.

Forecasters predict daytime highs will reach between 90 and 102 degrees in the coastal plains and between 98 and 108 in the valleys. Desert areas could hover around 110 degrees, said Stuart Seto, a weather specialist with the National Weather Service.

Public health officials in Riverside County reported six heat-related deaths this month. Most of those who died were elderly, including a 91-year-old from Riverside who died of prolonged heat exposure in a home without cooling measures, said Jose Arballo Jr., spokesman with the Riverside University Health System.

“Plan somewhere to go if you have to go, if you lose power,” Seto said.

As temperatures spiked Monday, about 3,800 customers — most in Beverly Grove — temporarily lost power. By midday Tuesday, Ramallo said only a few dozen people were reporting problems.

While additional DWP crews will be available Wednesday to jump on any outages, the utility is also taking steps to address the grid problems in the long term, which could involve planned power outages in residential neighborhoods...

More.

Rep. Jim Clyburn Signals That Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez Will Have to Wait Her Turn for Leadership

This is excellent.

At Buzzfeed, of all places:

“I would ask her to remember how long I had to wait to get here" https://t.co/RZnXh0qkk1

— Alexis Levinson (@alexis_levinson) July 25, 2018

Shop 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.

See especially, Blendtec TB-621-20 Total Blender Classic, with FourSide Jar, Black.

Also, Energy 5.1 Take Classic Home Theater System (Set of Six, Black).

And, LUCID 3-inch Gel Memory Foam Mattress Topper - Queen.

Plus, Yuneec Q500 4K Typhoon Quadcopter Drone RTF w/CGO3 Camera, ST10+ & Steady Grip (Certified Refurbished).

More, Spring Assisted Knife - Pocket Folding Knife - Military Style - Boy Scouts Knife - Tactical Knife - Good for Camping, Indoor and Outdoor Activities (Medium, Black).

Also, REEBOW GEAR Military Tactical Backpack Large 3 Day Assault Pack Army Molle Bug Out Bag Backpacks.

Plus, DASANI, 16.9 fl oz, 24 Pack.

BONUS: Laura Ingraham, Billionaire at the Barricades: The Populist Revolution from Reagan to Trump.

Dodge Challenger R/T Scat Pack 1320

1320 feet is a quarter mile, so that's a cool number for the new Dodge Challenger Scat Pack, which is essentially a dragster.

At Road and Track, "The Dodge Challenger R/T Scat Pack 1320 Takes a Page From Porsche":

The Dodge Challenger R/T Scat Pack 1320 takes a page from Porsche. https://t.co/WP99vSkJXw pic.twitter.com/xoLsESJSe3

— Road & Track (@RoadandTrack) July 19, 2018

Today, Dodge announced the new 2019 Challenger R/T Scat Pack 1320, a lightweight, dragstrip-oriented version of the Challenger R/T. In essence, it's a naturally aspirated, narrow-body version of the Challenger Demon, named "1320" for the number of feet in a quarter-mile. With a 485-horsepower, 6.4-liter V8, a zero-to-60 time of 3.8 seconds, and a quarter-mile of 11.7 seconds, Dodge says it's the quickest naturally aspirated muscle car on sale today. It's also the result of a brilliant strategy that reminds us of one of our other favorite performance-car brands, Porsche. And no, we haven't lost our minds.

Much of the cool stuff from the Challenger Demon has slowly trickled down into the rest of the Challenger lineup. The 840-horsepower Demon’s bolt-on fender flares soon found a new home on the 707-horse Hellcat Widebody for 2018. The huge 2.7-liter supercharger from the Demon, along with some supporting engine mods, help give the 2019 Hellcat Redeye its 797-horsepower rating. And the 2019 R/T Scat Pack Widebody is basically a Hellcat Widebody without the supercharger. Plus, there's the Jeep Grand Cherokee Trackhawk, which borrows its 707-horsepower engine from the Hellcat and receives the Demon's clever Torque Fill system for quick dragstrip launches. Basically, Fiat-Chrysler has been spreading the Demon's best bits all around the SRT family.

The new R/T Scat Pack 1320 joins that list. From the Demon, the 1320 gets adaptive dampers with a special mode to help transfer weight to the rear axle during launches; a TransBrake that locks the output shaft of the eight-speed automatic to build revs at a standstill at the starting line; and Torque Reserve, a computer-controlled ignition timing system designed to maximize the power the engine's kicking out as the car is straining to leave the starting line.

There's also a line-lock function so you can preheat the tires with a big smoky burnout, and systems to minimize wheelspin and axle-hop on hard drag launches. For hardware, the 1320 gets upgraded half-shafts from the Demon, plus sticky, 275-mm wide Nexen street-legal drag radials, a super-sticky summer-only tire. And like the Demon, the 1320 comes standard with only a driver's seat, for maximum weight saving—though you can option a front passenger seat and rear seats for $1 each. Equipped with only a driver's seat, the 1320 weighs 4127 lbs—87 lbs lighter than a regular R/T Scat Pack. In terms of looks, the 1320 is closer to a narrow-body Hellcat—it has that car's vent-and-scoop hood and large trunk spoiler—though the split grille and the "1320" bumblebee logo give it away as a non-supercharged Challenger...

More.

Added: Lots more details at PR Newswire, "2019 Dodge Challenger R/T Scat Pack 1320: Beware of the Angry Bee at the Drag Strip."

Justice Department Wants Refund from Georgia Sheriff Who Bought Dodge Muscle Car

This Georgia sheriff's department bought a Hellcat with asset forfeiture funds, heh.

At Instapundit, "YOUR TAX DOLLARS AT WORK — AND PLAY: Justice Department Wants Refund from Sheriff Who Bought a Dodge Charger Hellcat."

Hey, "That's My Dodge," lol.

Allie Beth Stuckey's Satirical Interview with Alexandria Ocasio Cortez Gets Over One Million Views on Facebook -- and Leftists Are Furious!

This is really just too precious.

On Twitter:

Manipulated video to create entirely fake interview presented as real by verified account here and on Facebook where it has over 1.1 million views in less than 24 hours. https://t.co/P6E5LfQi3K

— Robert Mackey (@RobertMackey) July 24, 2018

This faked interview of @Ocasio2018 by @CRTV has nearly 1 million views on Facebook. In less than 24 hours.

Interview didn't happen. It takes clips from @MargaretHoover's show and edits in faux questions.

Not labeled satire (other than a 😉 emoji).https://t.co/ipUPsOoyLH

— Shane Goldmacher (@ShaneGoldmacher) July 24, 2018

NO WAY! Linda Sarsour, journos drop BOMBSHELL about Allie Beth Stuckey's 'interview' with Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez https://t.co/gHRwIFBuWz

— Twitchy Team (@TwitchyTeam) July 24, 2018

'Girl, SIT DOWN'! Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez's take on Allie Beth Stuckey's 'interview' is just TOO MUCH https://t.co/GygntMmdOt

— Twitchy Team (@TwitchyTeam) July 24, 2018

Republicans are so scared of me that they made up some fake democratic socialist country called “Venezuela” and pretended people are starving and dying out there.

We will flip the seats red! pic.twitter.com/C2p6Bm7508

— Matt’s Idea Shop (@MattsIdeaShop) July 24, 2018

Taylor Swift in Mini Skirt

At Popaholic, "Taylor Swift Flashing All of Her Insanely Sexy Legs in a Kinky Short Skirt… WOW!"

Also at Taxi Driver, "Taylor Swift Pantie Peek Upskirt in Mini Skirt."

Do You Fly Coach?

If you do, and I do, you're sucked.

CEOs defend packing 'em in like sardines on the major airlines coach sections.

At WSJ, "When Airline CEOs Try the Cheap Seats."

Ever dreamed of forcing the head of an airline into the tightest seat? These 6-foot-3 CEOs insist they fly in coach at least part of the time. https://t.co/lBY6aN2jfe

— The Wall Street Journal (@WSJ) July 24, 2018