Misspent Conspiracism

At Quillette, "My Misspent Years of Conspiracism."

A (rare) essay from me about how I became a JFK conspiracy theorist, why I am not one now, and why you shouldn't be one either.

Includes a section on the shockingly inept and unethical Garrison investigation heroised in Oliver Stone's 1991 film "JFK." https://t.co/EjVS9oefC7

— Jamie Palmer (@j4mi3p) November 22, 2018

Unfriend Facebook

Heh.

On Twitter:

Facebook is bad https://t.co/Cu2XNslxHg

— Michelle Goldberg (@michelleinbklyn) November 16, 2018

Margaret Walker, Jubilee

At Amazon, a fantastic book and wonderful Christmas present, Margaret Walker, Jubilee (50th Anniversary Edition).

Nathaniel Philbrick, Mayflower

At Amazon, perfect for Thanksgiving, Nathaniel Philbrick, Mayflower: A Story of Courage, Community, and War.

As a Ring of Fire Closes In, a Mother Calls Her Daughters: 'This is How I Die'

This is the front-page story at today's Los Angeles Times.

Harrowing:

.⁦@MelissaTweets⁩ #CampFire #Paradise 🔥 https://t.co/WSynQAA6Ew

— Donald Douglas (@AmPowerBlog) November 22, 2018

Megan Parry's Thanksgiving Forecast

Happy Thanksgiving everybody!

I hope you have wonderful weather.

Here's the lovely Ms. Megan, for ABC News 10 San Diego:

Rains Threaten Northern Californian Burn Areas

"Sorely needed" rain is expected in Northern California, but the precipitation could cause more harm and endanger the search for those lost in the wildfires.

At LAT, "Approaching storms raise threat of mudslides in California burn areas."

Also, "Rescuers fear rains will wash away victims’ remains; 870 still missing in California fire":

Sorely needed rain coming tomorrow to help firefighters but, it will be heavy at times & could lead to debris flows or flash flooding. Flash Flood Watch WED PM-FRI PM. Hope all in area remain safe! @CAL_FIRE #CampFire #CaliforniaFire #CaliforniaWildfire pic.twitter.com/v3fXwu1hLQ

— Sandhya Patel (@SandhyaABC7) November 21, 2018

The cadaver dog alerted to a corner of the charred metal frame, what probably was once the kitchen of a mobile home in Paradise, Calif. Searchers in white jumpsuits walked over, with shovels and gloves, to sift through the debris.

After about 10 minutes, they determined there were no bodies or bones in the rubble — just burned sausages.

For days, hundreds of searchers have been methodically working through the destruction left by the massive Camp fire, looking for clues that someone couldn’t escape, such as a wheelchair or a footprint. They scour places where people may have tried to protect themselves from flames: under a mattress, inside a bathtub.

So far they have discovered 81 bodies — people who died in cars and homes; people outside, probably trying to outrun the flames. But with 870 people still missing and more than 12,600 destroyed homes to comb through, their grim mission is far from over.

“We have so many souls unaccounted for, I believe that this search for remains is going to go on for a long time,” said state Sen. Jim Nielsen (R-Gerber), whose district includes Paradise. “Could be weeks.”

And now, a pair of incoming storms are threatening to hamper recovery efforts. In a worst-case scenario, the downpour could flood the ruins and wash away human remains, leaving authorities unable to find and identify every victim of California’s deadliest wildfire on record. Authorities fear bones could sink underwater, making them harder to spot and drowning any scent that cadaver dogs rely on to find them.

Paradise narrowed its main road by two lanes despite warnings of gridlock during a major wildfire »
Deborah Laughlin last heard from her son and his pregnant wife just after the couple evacuated their Magalia home. It’s been almost two weeks, and she has no idea whether they survived.

“Please don’t tell me he died,” said Laughlin, tears in her eyes, from the cafeteria of Bidwell Junior High School in Chico. “Please.”

She said she is clinging to hope that they’ll be reunited soon. The 63-year-old lost her home in Paradise. She’s afraid of the approaching storms because she knows there are still people who are missing, people who may have died in the fire.

“I’m scared,” she said. “I’m scared they’ll be washed away and people’s remains will never be found.”

Meteorologists say the Camp fire burn scar — which is larger than the city of San Jose — could see up to 6 inches of rain through Saturday, with the heaviest downpour expected overnight Thursday. The forecast has triggered a flash flood watch for possible rock slides and debris flows. Light rain was beginning to fall Wednesday morning in the Sacramento Valley, with stronger showers expected later in the day.

“That rain is going to get in that ash, it’s going to turn into it a paste-like substance,” said Monterey County Sheriff’s Cmdr. Joe Moses, who is helping in the recovery effort. “It’s going to stick to everything and slow things down.”

Officials are preparing for an long, wrenching cleanup...

Miluniel Louis

Not sure who this is, but she's nice.

Here, "Miluniel Bush of the Day."

Plus, Playboy photos of Miluniel Louis.

Volker Ullrich, Hitler

*BUMPED.*

At Amazon, Volker Ullrich, Hitler: Ascent, 1889-1939.

'Close to Me'

From yesterday morning's drive-time, at 93.1 Jack FM.

The Cure.

Smashing Pumpkins
9:17am

More Than A Feeling
Boston
9:13am

How Soon Is Now?
The Smiths
9:07am

Brain Stew
Green Day
9:03am

Don't You Want Me
The Human League
8:52am

Lose Yourself
Eminem
8:48am

Here I Go Again
Whitesnake
8:44am

No Rain
Blind Melon
8:40am

Love Is A Battlefield
Pat Benatar
8:36am

Close To Me
The Cure
8:25am

When You Were Young
The Killers
8:21am

Sweet Home Alabama
Lynyrd Skynyrd
8:16am

Shout
Tears For Fears
8:10am

Alive
Pearl Jam
8:04am

'It's Only Rock 'n Roll'

A new live performance of "It’s Only Rock ‘n Roll," from the Stones' Voodoo Lounge tour.



Plus, the upcoming 2019 world tour:

See you in the US next year! 🇺🇸 https://t.co/TSFFpTUFPU #stonesnofilter pic.twitter.com/ULS4mTs4Gb

— Mick Jagger (@MickJagger) November 19, 2018

It's great to be playing back in America. Feels like we're coming home. https://t.co/t2FnkLmIyb pic.twitter.com/TNuqi3YtYu

— Keith Richards (@officialKeef) November 19, 2018

The Rolling Stones have just announced details of their US Tour 2019: https://t.co/cimRWrDl07 🇺🇸
There will be a fan pre-sale Weds 28 Nov 10am (local time) - If you want access to the pre-sale then enter your details here: https://t.co/yQWLqONHsv by Tuesday 27 Nov 9am EST. pic.twitter.com/zobo3Po4y9

— The Rolling Stones (@RollingStones) November 19, 2018

Shop 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, Nectar King Mattress + 2 Free Pillows - Gel Memory Foam - CertiPUR-US Certified - 180 Night Home Trial - Forever Warranty.

Also, Melissa & Doug Jumbo Extra-Thick Cardboard Building Blocks - 40 Blocks in 3 Sizes.

Plus, Chanasya Faux Fur Bed Throw Blanket - Super Soft Fuzzy Cozy Warm Fluffy Beautiful Color Variation Print Plush Sherpa Microfiber Gray Blanket (86"x108") KING.

More, Eddie Bauer Men's CirrusLite Down Jacket.

Here, BirdRock Home Snow Moover Extendable 50" Car Brush and Ice Scraper with Foam Grip - Auto Snow Removal - Car Truck SUV Windshield - Heavy Duty.

Still more, Great and British Knitwear Men's Lambswool Plain V Neck Sweater Made In Scotland.

And, Viper Shot King Regulation Bristle Steel Tip Dartboard Set with Staple-Free Bullseye, Galvanized Metal Radial Spider Wire; High-Grade Compressed Sisal Board with Rotating Number Ring for Extending Life, Includes 6 Steel Tip Darts.

BONUS: David Harsanyi, First Freedom: A Ride Through America's Enduring History with the Gun.

Women's March Founder Slams Group's Leadership, Calls for Resignations

A pretty big development on the left, with some doubling-down among the so-called women's march "leadership."

At the Times of Israel, "Linda Sarsour rapped for appearing to accuse US Jews of dual loyalty to Israel."

And on Twitter:

This is a must-read for everyone, but especially anyone who ever supported the toxic leadership at the head of the Women’s March, and was duped into financing it with their hard earned money https://t.co/g9B4vSSpSj

— Milena Rodban (@MilenaRodban) November 19, 2018

Teresa Shook, the Women's March founder who literally created its event page on Facebook, calls for the March organizers to step down over having "allowed anti-Semitism, anti-LBGTQIA sentiment and hateful, racist rhetoric to become a part of the platform": https://t.co/PXvdt9IJVx pic.twitter.com/FnQUcMKco1

— (((Yair Rosenberg))) (@Yair_Rosenberg) November 19, 2018

Women’s March Founder Calls for Current Co-Chairs to Step Down Citing Their Embrace of Anti-Semitism and Racism https://t.co/7BIHDHLY31

— Legal Insurrection (@LegInsurrection) November 19, 2018

The Progressive Synopticon

From VDH, at American Greatness:

The Progressive Synopticon https://t.co/dXWPVIhRBl

— Nick Short (@PoliticalShort) November 19, 2018

Sarah Silverman Checks Herself in the Mirror

At Drunken Stepfather, "Sarah Silverman Topless of the Day."

Also here, "Sarah Silverman Nude Scene."

AnnaLynne McCord in Tank-Top Underwear

I hate calling them "wife beaters," since I wear tank-top t-shirts and I don't beat my wife, lol.

But this is nice, at Taxi Drive, "Anna-Lynne McCord in Wife Beater."

Today's Deals

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

And see, ECOVACS DEEBOT N79S Robot Vacuum Cleaner with Max Power Suction, Alexa Connectivity, App Controls, Self-Charging for Hard Surface Floors & Thin Carpets.

Also, Greenworks 20-Inch 13 Amp Corded Snow Thrower 2600502.

More, Skywalker Trampolines 15-Foot Jump N’ Dunk Trampoline with Enclosure Net – Added Safety Features – Meets or Exceeds ASTM – Made to Last – Basketball Trampoline.

Plus, Gemmy 36707 Airblown Nativity Scene Christmas Inflatable, and Gemmy 39127-32 Deluxe Airblown Movie Screen Inflatable with Storage Bag, 144" Screen 12 FT TALL x 11.5 WIDE.

Still more, The North Face Men's McMurdo Parka III.

And, KIND Bars, Dark Chocolate Nuts & Sea Salt, Gluten Free, 1.4 Ounce Bars, 12 Count.

More, Black Rifle Coffee Company JB Just Black Coffee Rounds for Single Serve Brewing Machines (32 Count) dark Roast Coffee Pods Cups.

BONUS: Thomas Pynchon, Bleeding Edge: A Novel.

The Premature Death of the Novel

This is interesting, particularly since I've been reading so many novels this year.

At Quillette, "The Novel Isn't Dead — Please Stop Writing Eulogies":

Many novelists find it harder to make a living today compared to just a decade ago, but that doesn't mean there aren't ways to monetize true writing talent with crowdfunding tools, writes @GabrielScorgie. https://t.co/rF3os7t3Pi

— Quillette (@QuilletteM) November 14, 2018

The 69th National Book Awards Ceremony will take place this Wednesday in New York City. Nominees for the Fiction award include Brandon Hobson’s novel Where the Dead Sit Talking, Rebecca Makkai’s The Great Believers and Sigrid Nunez’s The Friend—all excellent and acclaimed specimens of a literary genre that English novelist J. B. Priestley had called a “decaying literary form” even before Nelson Algren’s The Man With the Golden Arm won the inaugural National Book Award for Fiction back in 1950.

Two decades later, postmodernist American author John Barth argued in The Literature of Exhaustion that the novel may have “by this hour of the world just about shot its bolt.” He won a National Book Award six years later for Chimera. More recently, Zadie Smith discussed her “novel nausea” while paraphrasing David Shields’ description of the crafted novel, “with its neat design and completist attitude,” as being “dull and generic.” Her most recent novel, Swing Time, made last year’s National Book Award longlist.

None of these obituarists seem to agree on the novel’s hour of death. According to veteran The New York Times writer Doreen Carvajal, the novel died in the 1980s, when books started to be valued less on their literary content and more on their sales. And yet over at The Guardian, Robert McCrum claimed a few years ago that the 1980s ushered in a golden age for writers and publishers alike. Meanwhile, Will Self, author of 11 books and five collections of short stories, claims the novel has been in a state of decay since the beginning of the 20th century, and is “absolutely doomed to become a marginal cultural form, along with easel painting and the classical symphony.”

While it is hard to argue with grand, subjective generalizations about the state of the novel, some objective facts are known: It is true that many novelists find it harder to make a living today compared to just a decade ago. A study done by the Authors Guild in the United States found that from 2009 to 2015, the average reported income of full-time authors decreased by 30%. Self-described part-time authors had their income decrease by 38% over the same period. However, this trend doesn’t seem to be affecting the best-selling literary novelists. Colson Whitehead sold 825,000 copies of The Underground Railroad. Emma Healey sold 360,000 copies of Elizabeth is Missing. Kate Atkinson sold 187,000 copies of A God in Ruins. These are strong numbers for literary fiction.

It is the “midlist” writer—the novelist who dedicates years of her life to writing a book that will sell perhaps 15,000 copies from Amazon and the deep recesses of Barnes & Noble—who is seeing her income disappear. Midlist writers frequently are having their manuscripts either rejected outright or accepted with a small advance. Rupert Thomson, a midlist author of over 10 novels, reports that an editor at Faber & Faber told him that he’d love to publish Thomson’s new work, but can no longer afford to offer respectable compensation. When Thomson asked what the editor could offer, he was presented with an amount so tiny that, by the author’s report, “I went home and sat at the kitchen table and drew up a balance-sheet. I thought: I’m going to have to change the way I live.”

Broadly speaking, there are two reasons commonly cited for the decline in sales and income. The first is what author Douglas Preston calls “the censorship of the marketplace”: Since midlist writers are no longer given advances large enough to survive on, many great books are simply never written in the first place because would-be authors are too busy working full-time jobs...

Teenage Juul Addiction

The F.D.A. was going to ban over-the counter sales, but stepped back after the outcry, apparently.

They're definitely addictive.

This is a great report, at NYT, "A Teenager, a Juul and Nicotine Addiction."

E-cigarettes may help tobacco smokers quit. But the alluring devices can swiftly induce a nicotine habit in teenagers who never smoked. This is the tale of one person’s struggle. https://t.co/NBLtSIS7pT

— The New York Times (@nytimes) November 16, 2018

Why Trump is Right on California Wildfires

At FrontPage Magazine, "How “Green Policies” Are Burning the Golden State to a Crisp."

"Governor Jerry Brown would like to shift blame from faulty looney left-wing forest management policies to blaming global warming."

Pray for #CampFire victims. 🙏🏼https://t.co/QaQF55kcNW pic.twitter.com/IseAFZpURO

— Linda Suhler, PhD (@LindaSuhler) November 14, 2018