American Power

Monday, September 11, 2017

Yeehaw!

Chargers at Broncos is on right now, at ESPN.

LAT's Mike DiGiovanna‏ tweeted earlier:

Yeehaw! We have arrived at Sports Authority Field in Denver. pic.twitter.com/5lG3O7Qxg0
— Mike DiGiovanna (@MikeDiGiovanna) September 11, 2017

America, 16 Years After 9/11, More Divided Than Ever

I don't put any particular stock into September 11th being some high time of American unity, although apparently nostalgia for some long-lost comity and togetherness is a thing.

See Ed Driscoll, at Instapundit, "IN THE LONG RUN, 9/11 DIDN’T BRING US ANY CLOSER TOGETHER."

And see Dana Loesch, on Twitter:

“I wish America could feel united again,” the repeat remark of every caller today. #DanaRadio
— Dana Loesch (@DLoesch) September 11, 2017

Die-Hards Hang On in the Florida Keys

From Molly Hennessy-Fiske‏, at LAT, "The incredible stories of the die-hards who looked Irma in the face — and stayed":

As Hurricane Irma barreled into Key West, Peter Borch stood atop the oldest guesthouse in the city, a converted Victorian mansion built in 1880, to film the unfolding mayhem.

Storm gusts bent nearby palm trees nearly in half, stripping and scattering fronds down empty streets. The horizon was nearly obscured by a white wall of surf roaring in.

“The eyewall is about to hit here in Key West. No power. Trees down. No flooding,” Borch, 31, shouted to be heard over the wind.

Then he shifted focus to a porch below, where an older man sat, shirtless, sipping coffee from a mug, oblivious to the onslaught.

From initial reports Sunday, it appeared that the Florida Keys had taken a pounding but dodged the sort of catastrophic disaster that had been widely expected as Irma roared north out of the Caribbean. But there were reports of missing people, and fears for what might be found in the light of day on Monday.

Keys residents are a hardy, proudly eccentric bunch, accustomed to surviving storms. Many refused to evacuate ahead of Hurricane Irma, including residents at the tip of the island chain in Key West known as conchs. The keeper of Ernest Hemingway’s historic home stayed put to care for his brood of six-toed cats. Watering holes like the Blue Macaw stayed open, offering a drink special called the “Bloody Irma” (five shots of Tito’s vodka). But as the storm descended Sunday, some denizens reconsidered and headed for shelters of last resort like a school on Sugarloaf Key. Others hunkered down, set up live feeds and promised to stay in touch.

One holdout filmed himself nearly getting washed away by storm surf striking the red and yellow buoy at the southernmost point of U.S. Route 1. Florida snowbirds and other island regulars posted queries online: How were the federally protected Key deer faring? Key West’s roaming roosters? Initial reports were good.

Then the power went out, cell service ceased and with it, the live feeds. Only those with satellite phones and land lines could stay in touch with the outside world.

Those at the Sugarloaf School were among the lucky few with a satellite phone, and used it to report that those sheltering there had survived the storm unscathed. Volunteer rescuers used an app on their cellphones called Zello to report what else they were seeing.

“I’m in Key West and we’re all right down here. I never do run from a storm,” said a man who identified himself as P.J.

Judy Cox searched online for signs of her friend, Borch, one of several Key West neighbors who decided to weather the storm.

She last heard from him at 9 a.m., about an hour after he posted his last video. She said he told her “it was windy and not a lot of flooding. Some trees down and no power since last night.”

Now, she was worried.

She had trouble reaching another friend, a boat captain, who was weathering the storm by Schooner Wharf, she said.

“Last I heard he was on his boat,” Cox said...

More.

How Does Terrorism End?

An excellent piece, from Robin Wright, at the New Yorker, "Sixteen Years After 9/11, How Does Terrorism End?"

On 9/11 anniversary, my @newyorker piece on how terror groups end: average lifespan only 8 yrs, only 5% "succeed." https://t.co/mQP5iaDecM
— Robin Wright (@wrightr) September 11, 2017

Delilah Hamlin

She's the 19-year-old daughter of Harry Hamlin and Lisa Rinna, at Taxi Driver, "Delilah Hamlin in See-Through Top."

Amazon Deals

Do some shopping, at Amazon, Shop Our Deal of the Day.

See especially, Bosch DDB181-02 18-Volt Lithium-Ion 1/2-Inch Compact Tough Drill/Driver Kit with 2 Batteries, Charger and Contractor Bag w/ Compact Laser Measure and 47-pc Bit Set.

More, AmazonBasics Apple Certified Lightning to USB Cable - 3 Feet (0.9 Meters), Black.

Here, Braun BrewSense 12-Cup Drip Coffee Maker.

And, FIJI Natural Artesian Water, 500mL Bottles (Pack of 24).

Plus, Mountain House Just In Case...Classic Assortment Bucket.

More here, Columbia Sportswear Bora Bora Booney II Sun Hats.

BONUS: Robert Spencer, Confessions of an Islamophobe.

September 11 Attacks Marked with Moment of Silence (VIDEO)

Following-up, "The Anniversary of 9/11."

Nearly 60 Percent of Florida Without Power as #Irma Moves North

At WSJ, "Irma Moves North, Leaves Nearly 60% of Florida Without Power."

Also, "Millions Without Power in Florida After Irma Lashing":

MIAMI — Millions are without power in Florida a day after Hurricane Irma swept through, bringing whipping winds, drenching rains, and coastal flooding to much of the state.

Early reports suggested Florida may have dodged the worst fears of the potential damage that the powerful hurricane could have delivered to the state of 20.6 million people. By early Monday Irma had weakened to a tropical storm as it moved over land on a path toward Georgia, but flooding worries remained in northern cities like Jacksonville.

About 62% of the state was without power—or 6.2 million customers—Monday morning, and cleanup crews were beginning to remove downed trees from roads while law-enforcement authorities escorted utility trucks to get the lights back on.

“Unfortunately we’ve got a lot of damage in our state,” Gov. Rick Scott said, speaking on CBS early Monday.

Hurricane Irma made landfall in the Florida Keys Sunday morning as a Category 4 storm, before hitting Marco Island as it headed north toward Tampa Bay. It was the second Category 4 hurricane of the season to hit the U.S., after Hurricane Harvey hammered the Texas coast last month, flooding Houston and causing at least 50 deaths. Lixion Avila, senior specialist with the National Hurricane Center, said it is extremely rare to have two Category 4 storms hit in one season.

Unlike Harvey, which lingered for days while producing historic rainfall, Irma swept through, climbing up much of Florida’s Gulf Coast in about a day. While there were pre-storm worries that Irma could be the worst natural disaster on record, quick post-storm assessments suggested losses would be far below early fears.

On Monday morning, the remnants of Irma had cleared Miami. The sun emerged from the clouds, and a light breeze blew. Though the storm battered the region, the extent of the damage will become clear only after assessment teams conduct their surveys.

In the Brickell financial district downtown, waters that had risen 3 feet or more Sunday had retreated, leaving the ground caked with mud and crowded with debris. Toppled trees and downed power lines littered neighborhoods...

The Anniversary of 9/11

Some thoughts from Glenn Reynolds, "SO NOW IT’S THE 16TH ANNIVERSARY OF 9/11. Back then, InstaPundit was shiny and new new new. Now it’s not, and some people have been warning of “blogger burnout.” But I’m still here."

Click through and read it.

Steven Pinker, Enlightenment Now

Out February 27, 2018, at Amazon, Enlightenment Now: The Case for Reason, Science, Humanism, and Progress.

Graeme Wood, The Way of the Strangers

Graeme Wood, The Way of the Strangers: Encounters with the Islamic State.

Lawrence Wright, The Looming Tower

A good place to begin understanding the September 11 attacks.

At Amazon, used copies available, Lawrence Wright, The Looming Tower: Al-Qaeda and the Road to 9/11.

Kate Millett Has Died

I wouldn't have known, except for Robert Stacy McCain (below).

Here's the Guardian (FWIW), "Kate Millett obituary: Radical feminist writer best known for her pioneering 1970 book Sexual Politics."

The Death of a Dishonest Feminist https://t.co/IxcXkaggiO pic.twitter.com/rU0j8PUYdE
— The Patriarch Tree (@PatriarchTree) September 11, 2017

Sunday, September 10, 2017

Nelson DeMille, By the Rivers of Babylon

When I'm out shopping for books, sometimes folks browsing will think out loud about their favorites. A few weeks back a woman asked me if I'd read Nelson DeMille. I hadn't, but now every time I see one of his books I'm reminded of this lady. In any case, I picked up a few of his on sale. He's prolific, though, so I'm going to go back and read some of his earliest works first.

This one's one of his initial hits, still in print.

At Amazon, Nelson DeMille, By the Rivers of Babylon.

Margaret George, The Confessions of Young Nero

*BUMPED.*

At Amazon, Margaret George, The Confessions of Young Nero.

ICYMI: Lloyd C. Douglas, The Robe

I just finished this one, which is one of the books I've been reading this last few weeks, as I've been devouring multiple novels at one time.

It's a novel of Ancient Rome, but especially the founding of Christianity. It's definitely magical at times. Apparently it went through multiple printings and was made into a motion picture starring Richard Burton.

Amazing.

At Amazon, Lloyd C. Douglas, The Robe: The Story of the Soldier Who Tossed for Christ's Robe and Won.

Colleen McCullough, Fortune's Favorites

After you've started the "Masters of Rome" series, you'll understand why folks rave about McCollough's writing.

For me, when you lug around a 900-page novel for a couple of weeks, and spend hours and hours plowing through it, the experience sticks with you for a while.

She's good. Highly recommended.

Here's the third in the series, Colleen McCullough, Fortune's Favorites.

Crystal King, Feast of Sorrow

At Amazon, Crystal King, Feast of Sorrow: A Novel of Ancient Rome.

Hurricane Irma Makes Landfall in Florida Keys (VIDEO)

At WSJ, "Hurricane Irma Makes Landfall Over Florida Keys (UPDATES)."

And, "Irma Leaves Battered Caribbean in Its Wake":

Hurricane Irma left widespread human and economic havoc in a string of tourism dependent Caribbean islands as the storm pulsed into Florida on Sunday.

Irma departed the last of those islands, Cuba, by Sunday morning after scraping along its northern coast. Buildings collapsed, trees and power lines tumbled, and roofs flew away in the 130-mile-per-hour winds.

Rain and seawater flooded towns and cities, including the colonial center of Havana, the country’s capital and a key tourist magnet. Communications were cut off, power was down and infrastructure was damaged in some affected parts of the island.

No deaths have yet been reported in Cuba, as authorities evacuated thousands of residents and tourists ahead of Irma´s arrival. But the hurricane killed at least 22 others across the northern Caribbean in four days of torment.

The storm’s damage comes just a few months before the beginning of the winter tourism season, which last year pumped $56 billion into the regional economy and provided 725,000 jobs, according to the World Travel and Tourism Council, an international industry group.

But Irma affected only a portion of the Caribbean. And while severe on some islands, the storm’s destruction was negligible in others, according to an early assessment by the Caribbean Tourism Organization.

Damage so far appears to have been heaviest in St. Martin’s and nearby islands in the U.S. and British Virgin Islands. And the storm’s impact still hasn’t been fully assessed in Cuba. Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic seem to largely have been spared.

“For the countries that are badly affected, it will take some time to get back on their feet,” Hugh Riley, an official with Caribbean Tourism Organization, said early Sunday.

The affected islands caught a break Saturday when Hurricane Jose, a Category 4 storm that had been on track to follow Irma’s path, turned to the north without making a Caribbean landfall.

Irma began its rampage far to the east of Cuba on Wednesday, tearing in the small two-island nation of Antigua and Barbuda in the northern Leeward Islands. Antigua, the larger of the two, was mostly spared by the storm...