Porn Star August Ames Commits Suicide

This story is sad and infuriating.

At the Independent Journal Review, "Porn Star August Ames Found Dead After Bullying Over Refusing to Shoot With Man Who Does Gay Scenes."

TWITTER- @AugustAmesxxx ❤
INSTAGRAM- https://t.co/UB42y0wW9q ❤
ONLYFANS- https://t.co/CpeVxiWNnI ❤
WISHLIST- https://t.co/Qj9lsCzcnV ❤ pic.twitter.com/9FLF3XehkW

— AugustAmesFan™ (@AugustAmesFan) December 4, 2017

Also, at the Federalist, "Porn Star Commits Suicide After Mob Hounds Her for Refusing Partner Who Had Gay Sex":

August Ames was a porn star who said she would not have sex on camera with a guy who had done gay porn. Apprently the "tolerance brigade" of gay porn starns litterally hounded her until she really did kill herself

— Kinda Bored & Why Am I Wasting Time Here? (@lamblock) December 8, 2017

The Gaystapo drove August Ames to suicide because she wouldn’t work with a crossover actor in a state where it’s no longer illegal to knowingly infect someone with AIDS.

— Craigé Schmuckatelli (@CraigR3521) December 8, 2017

For a while now, the joke has been that political correctness is moving so swiftly that not only will you have to approve of gay sex, it will become mandatory. I don’t mean this as an unfortunately literal bit of gallows humor, but Ames’ death does raise eyebrows because it speaks to a frightening dystopia where any traditional deference to female vulnerability becomes subservient to liberal pieties about sexuality.

The day Ames killed herself, the Supreme Court heard oral arguments about a case involving a Colorado cake baker who doesn’t want to make cakes for gay weddings. The baker, quite understandably and credibly, insists there’s a rather large expressive and artistic component to his vocation, so he shouldn’t be forced to endorse any particular message or religious ceremony he disagrees with. The counterargument is that it’s just a cake, and as long as you’re open for business, you have to serve anyone without discrimination.

Well, I’m scratching my head trying to figure out how Ames’s detractors weren’t extending the exact same logic of “public accommodation” to her. After all, she’s open for business, if you want to call it that. Wouldn’t it be discrimination to exclude working with an entire class of people?

RTWT.

Scenic View

Viewed on Twitter:

pic.twitter.com/1rYubbm8rj

— Jessica Miller (@camstarwar) October 29, 2017

'Say You Love Me'

From yesterday's drive-time, at Jack FM Los Angeles:

Pearl Jam
Alive
9:17 AM

Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers
American Girl
9:16 AM

Capital Cities
Safe And Sound
12/06/17
9:13 AM

Pink Floyd
Another Brick In The Wall
9:10 AM

Berlin
The Metro
9:06 AM

AC/DC
Dirty Deeds
8:54 AM

Third Eye Blind
Semi-Charmed Life
8:49 AM

David Bowie
China Girl
8:45 AM

Elton John
Rocket Man
8:40 AM

Kings Of Leon
Use Somebody
8:37 AM

ZZ Top
Sharp Dressed Man
8:32 AM

Dead Or Alive
You Spin Me Round
8:22 AM

Red Hot Chili Peppers
Dani California
8:17 AM

Fleetwood Mac
Say You Love Me
8:13 AM

REO Speedwagon
Keep On Loving You
8:06 AM

New Order
Bizarre Love Triangle
8:03 AM

Today's Shopping

At Amazon, Today's Deals.

See especially, Save Up to 40% on Maxi-Cosi & Safety 1st Car Seats.

Plus, Shop Fisher-Price Toys.

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Still more, Honeywell 360 Degree Surround Fan Forced Heater with Surround Heat Output, Charcoal Grey.

BONUS: Douglas Massey, American Apartheid: Segregation and the Making of the Underclass.

The Silence Breakers

Time jumped the shark years ago. They can't give the "person of the year" to just one person. It has to be for a movement, otherwise no one would give a fuck.

Here, "The Silence Breakers."

“Women have had it with bosses and coworkers who not only cross boundaries but don’t even seem to know that boundaries exist,” Time magazine writes. “These silence breakers have started a revolution of refusal, gathering strength by the day.” pic.twitter.com/NUr6wo50ZR

— Jennifer Jacobs (@JenniferJJacobs) December 6, 2017

Sara Sampaio for LOVE Advent (VIDEO)

Here's the latest installment:

SoCal Wildfires (VIDEO)

Here's the report from last night at CBS Evening News:

Wildfire on the Sepulveda Pass, Nearby the Getty Center (VIDEO)

The 405 freeway is closed nearby the Getty Center in Los Angeles.

At CBS News 2 Los Angeles:

Evelyn Taft's Wildfires Forecast

It's bad people.

Something like 150 structures destroyed by fire up in Ventura. It was windy, cold, and dry when I left for work yesterday at 6:00am. Then I saw the news about the fires.

Here's the lovely Ms. Evelyn. Stay safe, folks:

The Tax Reform Bill is Killing and Raping Americans

Oh my goodness this is cracking me up!

Leftists have lost their minds, heh.

From yesterday's roundup, at Maggie's Farm, "Tuesday morning links."

BONUS: Today's roundup, "Wednesday morning links."

End of Apartheid in South Africa?

This is depressing.

At NYT, "End of Apartheid in South Africa? Not in Economic Terms":

End of Apartheid in South Africa? Not in Economic Terms. This a powerful @NYTimes read ... https://t.co/jyNPeqaTYT

— Jason Burke (@burke_jason) November 15, 2017

CROSSROADS, South Africa — The end of apartheid was supposed to be a beginning.

Judith Sikade envisioned escaping the townships, where the government had forced black people to live. She aimed to find work in Cape Town, trading her shack for a home with modern conveniences.

More than two decades later, Ms. Sikade, 69, lives on the garbage-strewn dirt of Crossroads township, where thousands of black families have used splintered boards and metal sheets to construct airless hovels for lack of anywhere else to live.

“I’ve gone from a shack to a shack,” Ms. Sikade says. “I’m fighting for everything I have. You still are living in apartheid.”

In the history of civil rights, South Africa lays claim to a momentous achievement — the demolition of apartheid and the construction of a democracy. But for black South Africans, who account for three-fourths of this nation of roughly 55 million people, political liberation has yet to translate into broad material gains.

Apartheid has essentially persisted in economic form.

This reality is palpable as turmoil now seizes South Africa. Enraged protesters demand the ouster of President Jacob Zuma over disclosures of corruption so high-level that it is often described as state capture, with private interests having effectively purchased the power to divert state resources in their direction. The economy keels in recession, worsening an official unemployment rate reaching nearly 28 percent.

Underlying the anger are deep-seated disparities in wealth. In the aftermath of apartheid, the government left land and other assets largely in the hands of a predominantly white elite. The government’s resistance to large-scale land transfers reflected its reluctance to rattle international investors.

Today, millions of black South Africans are chronically short of capital needed to start businesses. Less than half of the working age population is officially employed.

The governing party, the African National Congress, built empires of new housing for black South Africans, but concentrated it in the townships, reinforcing the geographic strictures of apartheid. Large swaths of the black population remain hunkered down in squalor, on land they do not legally own. Those with jobs often endure commutes of an hour or more on private minibuses that extract outsize slices of their paychecks.

“We never dismantled apartheid,” said Ayabonga Cawe, a former economist for Oxfam, the international anti-poverty organization, and now the host of a radio show that explores national affairs. “The patterns of enrichment and impoverishment are still the same.”

South Africa began the post-apartheid era facing challenges as formidable as those confronted by Europe at the end of World War II, or the Soviet Union after communism. It had to re-engineer an economy dominated by mining and expand into modern pursuits like tourism and agriculture, while overcoming a legacy of colonial exploitation, racial oppression and global isolation — the results of decades of international sanctions.

“It’s a very deep structural problem,” said Ian Goldin, who served as a senior economic adviser to Nelson Mandela when he was president of South Africa, and is now a professor of globalization at the University of Oxford in Britain. “The Russians had capitalism before the Soviet Union. Africans lost their rights 300 years ago. It’s a much longer period of subjugation.”

Even so, from 1998 to 2008, the economy expanded by roughly 3.5 percent a year, doubling the size of the black middle class. The government built millions of homes, extended the reach of clean water and electricity, and handed out cash grants to millions of poor people.

But the global financial crisis of 2008 ravaged South Africa, destroying demand for the mineral deposits at the center of its economy. It wiped out half of the roughly two million new jobs that had been created in the previous four years.

Today, South Africa is a land of astonishing contrasts.

In the Sea Point neighborhood of Cape Town, a sweep of apartments and restaurants alongside the Atlantic Ocean, women gather on the beach for an evening yoga class — some black, some white, some Asian. Children of multiple races scamper through a playground, a scene unthinkable during apartheid.

High above the city, atop the ridgeline at Table Mountain, American exchange students recount a sky diving experience while pointing smartphones at the orange sun arcing toward the ocean.

To the east, the parched land vibrates in the golden light. Judith Sikade’s tin roof is down there somewhere, reflecting the last rays of the sun.

In her community, people are cooking over coal fires and breathing in fumes. Children run barefoot on paths littered with broken glass. Grown-ups exchange word of the latest armed robbery.

All the while, they keep an eye out for the police, who frequently descend bearing sledgehammers to tear down the shacks, given that they sit on private land.

“Where’s the freedom?” Ms. Sikade said, anger rising in her voice. “Where are the changes?”

Still more.

Monday Shopping

At Amazon, Today's Deals.

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Plus, DROCON Scouter Foldable Mini RC drone for kids with Altitude Hold Mode, One Key Take off Landing, 3D Flips and Headless Mode Quadcopter Easy Fly Steady for Beginners.

BONUS: Robert Bork, A Time to Speak: Selected Writings and Arguments.

Weekends at Althouse's

I noticed somewhere that Ann Althouse is a "professor emerita of law" at the University of Wisconsin.

She writes about her post-retirement weekends here, "I've completed the year without weekend weekends":

Having retired from my lawprof job, I experience weekends as the time when the people with structured jobs flow into activities that the nonstructured among us can do all the time. That affects me slightly. My job was already relatively unstructured, except for class times and the occasional meeting, so I was already experiencing the joy of the unstructured life (especially in the summertime). And when you let go of your structured employment, you will employ yourself doing something. In my case, I was and continue to be strongly structured to write this blog every morning, but the nonstructured thing about it is ending the process — breaking the trance. I don't have to break the trance because a structured task is approaching. I love that! I was pretty sure I would love that, and I chose to retire from my lawprof job so I could jump fully into the nonstructured life. Looking back on the year, I'm thoroughly happy about where I have landed...

Keep reading.

George R. R. Martin, A Game of Thrones (Box Set)

A great Christmas gift, at Amazon, A Game of Thrones / A Clash of Kings / A Storm of Swords / A Feast of Crows / A Dance with Dragons.

Terry Brooks, The Sword of Shannara

At Amazon, Terry Brooks, The Sword of Shannara.

Jennifer Delacruz's Monday Forecast

More sunny, windy, and dry weather, which is not too bad, actually.

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

In Afghanistan, American Airstrikes Escalate — Again

Well, I'm not too upset about it, actually. If the security situation requires more airstrikes, the strike away. I'll be upset if Trump starts getting a the kind of flak over this from the media that Obama never got.

At LAT, "U.S. airstrikes rise sharply in Afghanistan — and so do civilian deaths":

U.S. airstrikes rise sharply in Afghanistan — and so do civilian deaths https://t.co/NXnAQsCfLP pic.twitter.com/Qpg2OgzVcv

— Los Angeles Times (@latimes) December 4, 2017

As U.S. warplanes flew above a cluster of villages where Islamic State militants were holed up in eastern Afghanistan, 11 people piled into a truck and drove off along an empty dirt track to escape what they feared was imminent bombing.

They did not get far.

An explosion blasted the white Suzuki truck off the road, opening a large crater in the earth and flipping the vehicle on its side in a ditch. A teenage girl survived. The 10 dead included three children, one an infant in his mother’s arms.

The lone survivor of the Aug. 10 blast in Nangarhar province, and Afghan officials who visited the site, said the truck was hit by an American airstrike shortly before 5 p.m. Relatives expressed horror that U.S. ground forces and surveillance aircraft could have mistaken the passengers, who included women and children riding in the open truck bed — in daylight with no buildings or other vehicles around — for Islamic State fighters.

“How could they not see there were women and children in the truck?” said Zafar Khan, 23, who lost six family members, including his mother and three siblings, in the blast.

In a statement after the incident, the U.S. military acknowledged carrying out a strike but said it killed militants who “were observed loading weapons into a vehicle” and “there was zero chance of civilian casualties.”

Pockets of Nangarhar remain inaccessible to outsiders because of fighting, making it impossible to independently determine the cause of the fatal explosion. What is not in question is that in the 17th year of U.S. military involvement in Afghanistan, American airstrikes are escalating again, along with civilian casualties.

Operating under looser restrictions on air power that commanders hope will break a stalemate in the war, U.S. fighter planes this year dropped 3,554 explosives in Afghanistan through Oct. 31, the most since 2012.

American officials say the firepower has curtailed the growth of Islamic State’s South Asia affiliate — known as ISIS-Khorasan, which they believe numbers about 900 fighters, most of them in Nangarhar — and enabled struggling government forces to regain ground against Taliban insurgents in other provinces, such as Helmand, where a Marine-led task force has helped coordinate a months-long offensive.

But innocent Afghans are asking: At what cost?

The United Nations mission in Afghanistan documented 205 civilian deaths and 261 injuries from airstrikes in the first nine months this year, a 52% increase in casualties compared with the same period in 2016. Although both U.S. and Afghan forces conduct aerial attacks, preliminary data indicate that American strikes have been more lethal for civilians.

In the first six months of 2017, the U.N. said, 54 civilians died in international air operations, compared with 29 in Afghan strikes. Twelve additional deaths could not be attributed to either force, the U.N. found.

In the case of the blast in Nangarhar province in August, U.S. officials have continued to assert that the American airstrike that day struck only militants. But they have since offered an alternative explanation for the civilian deaths. Responding to questions from The Times, coalition officials said that a passenger vehicle — presumably the Suzuki truck — hit a roadside bomb planted by Islamic State militants slightly more than a mile from where the airstrike killed the militants. It was the roadside bomb that resulted “in multiple enemy-caused civilian casualties,” said Navy Capt. Tom Gresback, a spokesman for coalition forces in Kabul.

Afghans vigorously dispute that account. The district police chief, Hamidullah Sadaqat, said there was only one deadly explosion in the area that afternoon. Rozina, the 17-year-old survivor, said her memory was clear...

Kendall Jenner Gym Workout (VIDEO)

From Love Advent:

Steve Erickson, Shadowbahn

At Amazon, Steve Erickson, Shadowbahn: A Novel.

Could California Be Seeing the Onset of a Recession?

Probably. We lead the country in just about everything else, so why not the next economic crash? We've certainly got the stupid leadership for it, Democrat leadership.

At Instapundit, "HIGH-SPEED TRAIN TO NOWHERE."

Brandon Sanderson, The Way of Kings

At Amazon, Brandon Sanderson, The Way of Kings (The Stormlight Archive).

Also, mass-market paperback version here.

Sunday Shopping

At Amazon, Today's Deals.

See especially, Schwinn Bicycles and Cycling Gear.

Also, RockDove Two-Tone Memory Foam Warm House Slippers for Men w/Indoor Outdoor Sole.

And, Little Tikes EasyScore Basketball Set, Blue - 3 Ball Amazon Exclusive, and Spalding NBA Slam Jam Over-The-Door Mini Basketball Hoop.

More, Sweet Dreams Luxury Satin Pillowcase with Zipper, Standard Size, White (Silky Satin Pillow Case for Hair) by Shop Bedding.

Still more, G.H. Bass & Co. Men's Larson Penny Loafer.

Plus, Samsung Electronics UN65MU7000 65-Inch 4K Ultra HD Smart LED TV (2017 Model).

BONUS: Natan Sharansky, The Case For Democracy.

Michelle Malkin Slams Kate Steinle Verdict: We're a 'Sanctuary Nation' (VIDEO)

She's fired up.

On Hannity's:

When will the politicians who support open borders be held accountable for their policies? Kate Steinle would still be alive today if it wasn't for San Francisco's sanctuary city policy. h/t @michellemalkin @seanhannity pic.twitter.com/nJFKnTfJtw

— Nick Short 🇺🇸 (@PoliticalShort) December 1, 2017

The Gift of Goats

They're so tame. I guess they'd make a nice gift to some Sudanese children?



More at World Vision, "Donate Goats":

Goats can change everything.

Their milk provides great protein to help children grow. The family can also sell any extra to earn money for medicines and other necessities.

A healthy dairy goat can give up to 16 cups of milk a day. Goat’s milk is easier to digest than cow’s milk and is an excellent source of calcium, protein, and other essential nutrients that growing children need. Goats are practical animals — flourishing in harsh climates while producing valuable manure to fertilize crops and vegetable gardens...

Emily Ratajkowski Covered in Pasta (VIDEO)

Love Advent's going with the weird angle. Ms. Emily's been keep up her figure, though, so that's nice.

Watch:

Jennifer Delacruz's Sunny, Windy, and Dry Forecast

Hmm, the rainy season's getting a slow start this year, it turns out. Nice weather otherwise.

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

Delivery Driver 'Drops Off' Amazon Package (VIDEO)

I got a book delivered last week to the leasing office, although I wasn't notified. My Amazon packages are always found in the mailbox or dropped off at the front door. Never to the office.

I won't mind as long as I get a notification. I thought mine got lost in the mail somewhere.

I shouldn't be too bummed, though, compared to this guy, who had the delivery guy just chuck his box out the window. Sheesh.

The dude's got a good video system set up, though. Smart.

At CBS News 2 Los Angeles:

Selena Gomez 'Woman of the Year' at Billboard Women in Music 2017

She's great!

At Drunken Stepfather, "SELENA GOMEZ IN A HALTER TOP AND TIGHT PANTS OF THE DAY."

Emily St. John Mandel, Station Eleven

At Amazon, Emily St. John Mandel, Station Eleven: A Novel.

Kate Steinle Case, the Acquittal of Garcia Zarate, Makes Mockery of Rule of Law

As usual, Heather Mac Donald offers the best commentary on the Kate Steinle case, and the decline and fall of both law and order, and the once-Golden State of California.

At City Journal, "San Francisco's Shame."

Today's Shopping

At Amazon, Today's Deals.

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Plus, Save on Digital Cameras.

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BONUS: Thomas Fleming, The Strategy of Victory: How General George Washington Won the American Revolution.

More Lily Aldridge

Following-up, "Lily Aldridge Takes You Away to Her Turks and Caicos Paradise (VIDEO)."

Here's more Lily, via Vogue:

Lily Aldridge Takes You Away to Her Turks and Caicos Paradise (VIDEO)

She's always been one of my faves, but has been out of the limelight of late.

No matter. Enjoy her while she's hot.

William Jacobson at Vassar College

This is from last month, but there was quite the controversy, naturally.

Here's William, at USA Today, "My pro-free speech views made me the target of a smear campaign at Vassar College."

My lecture against squeezing out free speech from colleges got me smeared. The students who smeared me got a safe space complete with coloring books and markers.

(More at Legal Insurrection.)

Cool Courtney

It's Courtney Friel, who's a KTLA news anchor these days, and a smokin' babe.

See u in two!!!! pic.twitter.com/3Ct1fjNt3d

— Courtney Friel (@courtneyfriel) December 2, 2017

Flashback: "Courtney Friel, Political Scientist."

It's Brian Ross, Again

Why, oh why, does this guy still have a job?

At the Hill, "ABC News faces criticism after correcting bombshell Flynn-Trump report."

ABC News faces criticism after correcting bombshell Flynn-Trump report https://t.co/iW0t98jW4i pic.twitter.com/GMglUAREzW

— The Hill (@thehill) December 2, 2017

And Dana Loesch:

Yeah, that’s a big *correction,* not a clarification. Flynn erred for lying about it, not for making inroads during transition like literally every other admin prior, including Obama admin. https://t.co/WvVtmXB2dI

— Dana Loesch (@DLoesch) December 2, 2017

Leftist Misogyny

The left has really ratcheted up the hatred toward Sarah Sanders. The cool thing, the amazing thing, is how she bats it off like a pro, heh.

At Instapundit, "WHY ARE LEFTY MEDIA OUTLETS SUCH CESSPITS OF MISOGYNY?"

When Will They Outlaw Pickup Trucks?

I was over at the Dodge dealer in Anaheim the other day, and they had a diesel Ram 250 one-ton pickup, way jacked up, all black, and looking meaner that sh*t. I almost wanted to trade my Challenger back in for that thing, lol.

In any case, see Dr. Helen, at Pajamas.

Take charge.

Photo Credit: Nick B. pic.twitter.com/XyoQKuYltg

— RamTrucks (@RamTrucks) December 2, 2017

Ready to do work in #RamCountry.

Photo Credit: Lucas W. pic.twitter.com/t9yeMWEWIm

— RamTrucks (@RamTrucks) November 30, 2017

Diesel tough.

Photo Credit: @sick7_dually pic.twitter.com/pQtjvDPz0i

— RamTrucks (@RamTrucks) November 28, 2017

Viktor E. Frankl, Man's Search for Meaning

At Amazon, Viktor E. Frankl, Man's Search for Meaning.

Terry Goodkind, Wizard's First Rule

At Amazon, Terry Goodkind, Wizard's First Rule (Sword of Truth, Book 1).

Fiona Mozley, Elmet

At Amazon, Fiona Mozley, Elmet: A Novel.

Mohsin Hamid, Moth Smoke

*BUMPED.*

Mr. Hamid has a new novel out, Exit West, about the plight of refugees fleeing poverty and terror, which I'm sure will please leftist audiences.

But I cracked up at the description of Hamid's first novel at Wikipedia, "Hamid's first novel, Moth Smoke, told the story of a marijuana-smoking ex-banker in post-nuclear-test Lahore who falls in love with his best friend's wife and becomes a heroin addict."

At Amazon, Mohsin Hamid, Moth Smoke.

Trump's Justice Department Considers New Charges Against Kathryn Steinle's Killer

There are no words. Seriously, I'm upset about this.

At the San Francisco Chronicle, and Twitchy:

Conservatives let SF have it over verdict in #KateSteinle case. https://t.co/EvRLHAtuza via @jfwildermuth @rachelswan pic.twitter.com/Oui2YaabSz

— San Francisco Chronicle (@sfchronicle) December 1, 2017

#BREAKING: #KateSteinle trial verdict: Jose Ines Garcia Zarate acquitted of murder and manslaughter in killing at Pier 14 in S.F. https://t.co/j88ocGJ6Ll pic.twitter.com/5eI2tG8FtD

— San Francisco Chronicle (@sfchronicle) December 1, 2017

Chronicle editorial: Justice not served in trial of Kate Steinle's killer https://t.co/71K643dlgK pic.twitter.com/6GP1HhrDdH

— San Francisco Chronicle (@sfchronicle) December 1, 2017

INFURIATING: Illegal alien acquitted of murder, manslaughter in shooting death of Kate Steinle https://t.co/c0vmbaZr7P

— Twitchy Team (@TwitchyTeam) December 1, 2017

Awful: Dan Bongino lays out MADDENING 'mockery of justice' timeline in Kate Steinle death https://t.co/gfxdmLluPT

— Twitchy Team (@TwitchyTeam) December 1, 2017

BOOMAGE --> Guy Benson ZINGS California over #KateSteinle verdict and it's PERFECT https://t.co/iYEZ2UmBNN

— Twitchy Team (@TwitchyTeam) December 1, 2017

'Damning indictment'! Michelle Malkin NUKES Pelosi & open borders pols after Kate Steinle verdict https://t.co/yKMnzoWQa8

— Twitchy Team (@TwitchyTeam) December 1, 2017

Top House Democrat John Conyers Hospitalized Amid Harassment Allegations

He's the longest serving member of the House of Representatives, now being thrown under the bus, lol.

I've talked to several people who say Rep. John Conyers is super stressed out and this is taking a toll on him. Now, Mr. Conyers is in the hospital while still maintaining that he did nothing wrong. https://t.co/P0xYdw4Zdm

— Yamiche Alcindor (@Yamiche) November 30, 2017

NEW: Longtime Rep. John Conyers has been hospitalized for stress-related illness, his spokesperson says. Conyers has faced multiple allegations of sexual misconduct, and recently stepped aside as ranking member of House Judiciary Committee. pic.twitter.com/sDxNONyjnD

— ABC News (@ABC) November 30, 2017

Democrats throwing him under the bus now:

NEW: Longtime Rep. John Conyers has been hospitalized for stress-related illness, his spokesperson says. Conyers has faced multiple allegations of sexual misconduct, and recently stepped aside as ranking member of House Judiciary Committee. pic.twitter.com/sDxNONyjnD

— ABC News (@ABC) November 30, 2017

'Rope. Tree. Journalist. Some Assembly Required'

Now that's some t-shirt, heh.

At NPR, "Walmart Pulls T-Shirts That Hint at Lynching Journalists" (via Memeorandum).

Walmart just pulled a T-shirt that said: ‘‘Rope. Tree. Journalist. SOME ASSEMBLY REQUIRED.’’ pic.twitter.com/WPPHFfNlBu

— Marie Connor (@thistallawkgirl) November 30, 2017

"Rope. Tree. Journalist. SOME ASSEMBLY REQUIRED." T-shirt has been removed from @Walmart's website at RTDNA's urging. https://t.co/lA8FGCUnHt pic.twitter.com/qnDiVGIwTN

— RTDNA (@RTDNA) November 30, 2017

T. H. White, The Once and Future King

At Amazon, T. H. White, The Once and Future King.

Shop Amazon

Thanks for your support. It's awesome and greatly appreciated.

Here's today's deals, at Amazon.

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BONUS: Roger Kimball, ed., Vox Populi: The Perils and Promises of Populism.

Christina Hoff Sommers Discusses 'Sex Panic' on Tucker Carlson's (VIDEO)

Following-up from last night, "The Great Sex Panic of 2017."

Watch:

The Great Sex Panic of 2017

We're in confusing times right now, that's for sure.

Here's Christina Hoff Sommers, "A panic is not an answer: We’re at imminent risk of turning this #metoo moment into a frenzied rush to blame all men."

(RELATED: "Beware the Rape Allegation Bandwagon.")

More on Matt Lauer

Following-up, "Matt Lauer Fired."

See this doozy of a piece at Variety, "Matt Lauer Accused of Sexual Harassment by Multiple Women (EXCLUSIVE)."

Omg this variety story on Lauer. Oh my god. https://t.co/Itzw15cuY6

— Hadas Gold (@Hadas_Gold) November 29, 2017

Shop 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.

See especially, Destiny 2 - PlayStation 4 Standard Edition.

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And , CLIF BAR - Energy Bar - Blueberry Crisp - (2.4-Ounce Protein Bar, 12 Count).

More, LG 65UJ6300 - 65" Super UHD 4K HDR Smart LED TV (2017 Model) w/ Accessories Bundle Includes, SurgePro 6-Outlet Surge Adapter with Night Light, 2x 6ft. HDMI Cable & Screen Cleaner for LED TVs.

Plus, Philips Norelco Electric Shaver 8900, Wet & Dry Edition S8950/91.

BONUS: James Agee, A Death in the Family.

8 Million Could Die in Nuclear War with North Korea

That wouldn't be good.

At the National Interest:

8 Million People Could Die in a Nuclear War with North Korea https://t.co/mobYHD0AC3

— National Interest (@TheNatlInterest) November 29, 2017

Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show 2017

At London's Daily Mail, "Fallen Angel! Ming Xi bursts into tears backstage after taking a tumble during the Victoria's Secret Fashion Show in Shanghai."

Also, "Making moves after The Weeknd! Bella Hadid puts on flirtatious display with singer Miguel during Victoria's Secret show in Shanghai...after that run-in with her ex at last year's catwalk," and "Ravishing in red! Bella Hadid flaunts her ample cleavage as she matches Taylor Hill and Sara Sampaio in crimson dresses at Victoria's Secret Fashion Show viewing party."

Plus, "Bra-vo! Candice Swanepoel teams lingerie with sheer sequinned pantsuit as she reunites with VS Angels for fashion show viewing party."

Matt Lauer Fired

Well, Charlie Rose. Now, Matt Lauer. If we could just get George Stephanopoulos fired we'd be cooking.

At Politico, "Longtime 'Today' host Matt Lauer fired from NBC for 'inappropriate sexual behavior'."

Also at Memeorandum, "NBC Fires Matt Lauer Over Sexual Misconduct Allegations."

Today's Deals

At Amazon, Shop Today.

See especially, GreenWorks 2600502 13 Amp 20-Inch Corded Snow Thrower.

And, Intex Raised Downy Airbed with Built-in Electric Pump, Queen, Bed Height 22".

More, Wave Premium Sleep Therapy Sound Machine – Soothing All-Natural Sounds Include White Noise, Fan, Ocean, Rain, Stream, and Summer Night - Includes Timer and USB Output Charger.

Also, Upgraded NutriChef Pro Soup Maker & Blender - Multifunction Machine - Hot and Cold, Juicer, Soup & Smoothie Maker - Food Warmer - Healthy Food - Pulse, Steamer, 1.7L, Black (PKSM240BK).

Plus, XCSOURCE 2x Car Vehicles 9LED Daytime Running Light DRL Kit Fog Lamp Day Driving Daylight.

And, Meguiar's G18211 Ultimate Paste Wax, 11 oz.

Still more, Mothers 05500 California Gold Brazilian Carnauba Cleaner Wax - 12 oz.

Here, Turtle Wax T-49R1 F21 Tire Foam and Shine - 18 oz., and Turtle Wax 50733 Complete ICE Premium Car Care Kit, 8-Piece.

BONUS: Joseph Heller, Catch-22 (50th Anniversary Edition).

Genevieve Morton 2018 Calendar Shoot

At Taxi Driver, "Genevieve Morton Topless for her 2018 Calendar Shoot."

Use code “Blackfriday” to get 15% off on https://t.co/Smq8FeWAAB today!! pic.twitter.com/x7kjCfGVAj

— genevieve morton (@genevievemorton) November 24, 2017

Head to https://t.co/Smq8FeWAAB to order your 2018 calendar pic.twitter.com/5FoBd2VpLP

— genevieve morton (@genevievemorton) November 26, 2017

Believe All Women?

Within limits.

Here's Bari Weiss, at NYT:

“Believe all women” is a powerful war cry, but it can be turned into a weapon to hurt us. Exhibit A: Roy Moore’s false accuser. My latest: https://t.co/TlpopSzH9m

— Bari Weiss (@bariweiss) November 28, 2017

The Old Man and the Sea

I spent the day with my young son yesterday, cruising around for books, going out for pizza, and then topping off the afternoon with a stop in Newport Beach. My son was so excited to walk around the pier, see the fishermen and examine their catch, and, most of all, rekindle some memories of previous visits down to the water.

We've taken away my son's digital items for a couple of weeks, because he's been having issues. No cell phone. No iPad. No tablet. He can watch television, but there's no inter-connectivity, which is good. It's amazing how much fun it is to just unplug. He was joyous. You talk. You communicate. You reminisce about the good times and you create new memories. I love my son so much and want him to be healthy and happy. Disconnecting helps.

More later. Have a wonderful day.

Just got home from the beach. Hey, that’s the old man and the sea! #NewportBeach #California pic.twitter.com/QIHEwrppy3

— Donald Douglas (@AmPowerBlog) November 27, 2017

Neil Postman and Charles Weingartner, Teaching As a Subversive Activity

I teach to subvert the leftist narrative, and it works!

At Amazon, Neil Postman and Charles Weingartner, Teaching As a Subversive Activity.

Awesome Amazon Deals

For Cyber Monday.

At Amazon, All-New Fire HD 10 Tablet with Alexa Hands-Free, 10.1" 1080p Full HD Display, 32 GB, Black - with Special Offers ($99.00).

Also, All-New Fire 7 Kids Edition Tablet, 7" Display, 16 GB, Blue Kid-Proof Case ($69.99).

And, All-New Fire HD 8 Tablet with Alexa, 8" HD Display, 16 GB, Black - with Special Offers ($49.99).

More, Kindle Paperwhite E-reader - Black, 6" High-Resolution Display (300 ppi) with Built-in Light, Wi-Fi - Includes Special Offers ($89.99).

Still more, Kindle Essentials Bundle including Kindle 6” E-Reader, Black with Special Offers, Amazon Cover for Kindle – Black, Power Adapter, and special eBooks offer - $15 credit ($99.97).

Here, All Amazon Accessories Link.

BONUS: Steven Hill, Raw Deal: How the "Uber Economy" and Runaway Capitalism Are Screwing American Workers.

Mexico's Slums

No wonder migrants flee Mexico like the plague.

At LAT, "Mexico promised affordable housing for all. Instead it created slums":

Take a highway out of any Mexican city and you'll see rapidly-decaying slums, even though they're only a few years old. What went wrong? My LA Times investigation. https://t.co/JWPmnpjC8O

— Richard Marosi (@RichMarosi) November 26, 2017

Sixteen years ago, Mexico embarked on a monumental campaign to elevate living standards for its working-class masses.

The government teamed with private developers to launch the largest residential construction boom in Latin American history. Global investors — the World Bank, big foundations, Wall Street firms — poured billions of dollars into the effort.

Vast housing tracts sprang up across cow pastures, farms and old haciendas. From 2001 to 2012, an estimated 20 million people — one-sixth of Mexico’s population — left cities, shantytowns and rural ranchos for the promise of a better life.

It was a Levittown moment for Mexico — a test of the increasingly prosperous nation’s first-world ambitions. But Mexico fell disastrously short of creating that orderly suburbia.

The program has devolved into a slow-motion social and financial catastrophe, inflicting daily hardships and hazards on millions in troubled developments across the country, a Los Angeles Times investigation has found.

Homeowners toting buckets scrounge for water delivered by trucks. Gutters run with raw sewage from burst pipes. Streets sink, sidewalks crumble, and broken-down water treatment plants rust. In some developments, blackouts hit for days at a time.

Inside many homes, roofs leak, walls crack and electrical systems short circuit, blowing out appliances and in some cases sparking fires that send families fleeing.

The program cost more than $100 billion, and some investors and construction executives reaped enormous profits, hailing themselves as “nation builders” as they joined the ranks of Mexico’s richest citizens.

Meanwhile, the factory workers, small-business owners, retirees and civil servants who bought the homes got stuck with complex loans featuring mortgage payments that rose even as their neighborhoods deteriorated into slums.

The Times visited 50 of the affordable-housing developments from Tijuana to the Gulf of Mexico. It also reviewed thousands of pages of government and industry documents, and interviewed hundreds of homeowners, municipal leaders, housing experts, civil engineers, construction workers and government officials.

The American housing crisis and recession a decade ago also were marked by regulatory failures, and the U.S. economy eventually recovered. But the crisis in Mexico has been deepening.

Conditions at the developments vary widely. While some meet basic standards, rapid decay is evident at developments in or near every major city: Failed water systems. Unfinished electrical grids, wastewater systems and other infrastructure. Parks and schools that were promised but never materialized.

Many developments were built far from employment centers on marginal land — wetlands, riverbanks and unstable hillsides — with scarce access to water. Local officials rewrote zoning laws and approved developments with little or no review.

Developers downsized homes — building about 1 million one-bedroom units as small as 325 square feet, which is smaller than a typical two-car garage in the U.S. Many families of six, seven or more live in these postage-stamp dwellings, sleeping in laundry nooks and hallways.

Builders have all but abandoned hundreds of developments without completing infrastructure, resulting in a patchwork of public services.

In developments without working streetlights, youngsters wield flashlights to navigate pitch-black streets. In those without trash-hauling, people burn garbage in vacant lots to deter rats.

Tree stumps are placed in open manholes to alert children to the hazards of poorly maintained streets. Residents of water-parched neighborhoods lock the lids of rooftop cisterns to keep thieves from siphoning water.

The unfinished developments blight cities across the country. An estimated 300,000 people live in more than 40 incomplete tracts in the fast-growing Baja California cities of Tijuana and Ensenada.

In Mexico state, which surrounds Mexico City, developers have completed only 36 of the 235 developments started between 2005 and 2012, leaving 200,000 to 500,000 people in limbo, according to state records.

“It was a world of corruption,” said Alberto Uribe, the mayor of Tlajomulco, a suburb of Guadalajara. His predecessors in the city approved developments where the well water has run low for an estimated 300,000 people, he said. Water is now rationed, and many families receive water only every other day...

More.

Demi-Leigh Nel-Peters Crowned Miss Universe 2017

She's a beauty.

At USA Today:

#MissSouthAfrica Demi-Leigh Nel-Peters is crowned #MissUniverse 2017 https://t.co/khfcCxIdp4

— Donald Douglas (@AmPowerBlog) November 27, 2017

Congratulations to Demi-Leigh Nel-Peters, the winner of the 2017 #MissUniverse competition! pic.twitter.com/JYuQYc3Lvo

— Miss Universe (@MissUniverse) November 27, 2017

The face you make just before you take the @MissUniverse stage.

RT if you're tuning in to watch #MissUniverse on @vuzutv tomorrow morning? #SouthAfrica pic.twitter.com/WffMU2bMJ7

— Demi-LeighNel-Peters (@DemiLeighNP) November 26, 2017

Top 5.🇿🇦 #MisssUniverse #SouthAfrica pic.twitter.com/2XpflbDdso

— Demi-LeighNel-Peters (@DemiLeighNP) November 27, 2017

In Greenwich and Manhattan, Tax-Hike Fears Fuel Talk of Exodus

The poor, wealthy babies --- and all Democrats too. I feel terrible for them. (*Eye-roll*)

At Bloomberg, "Tax-Hike Fears Trigger Talk of Exodus From Manhattan and Greenwich":

Fears of a tax hike are fueling talk of an exodus in Greenwich and Manhattan https://t.co/EI8reC8OBj pic.twitter.com/IFp50a7VLB

— Bloomberg (@business) November 27, 2017

Even Bruce McGuire, founder of the Connecticut Hedge Fund Association, understands if wealthy Northeasterners flee the region due to changes in the tax code.

“It would almost be irresponsible if you weren’t thinking about moving,” he said.

The problem for the Connecticut hedge-fund set -- and, more broadly, for a lot of the Wall Street crowd -- is that Republican proposals in both the House and Senate would drive up taxes for many high-earners in the New York City area. By eliminating the deduction for most state and local taxes, an individual making a yearly salary of $1,000,000 -- a figure not uncommon in the financial industry -- would owe the Internal Revenue Service an additional $21,000, according to a preliminary analysis by accounting firm Marcum LLP.

Billionaire hedge fund managers have blazed the trail south in recent years. David Tepper, Paul Tudor Jones and Eddie Lampert are New York-area transplants to Florida, which has no personal income tax.

A final bill could still do away with the hike, but so far there are no signs coming out of Washington that will happen. Financially struggling New Jersey had the sixth-highest individual income rate this year, according to the Federation of Tax Administrators. New York ranked eighth and cash-strapped Connecticut 12th. Nine of the 10 states with the highest individual taxes, including Washington, D.C., voted Democratic in the 2016 presidential election.

Tax Refugees

No one interviewed for this story would talk openly about making plans to move, but Goldman Sachs Group Inc. is estimating that New York City alone could lose as much as 4 percent of its top earners if the bill becomes law. In Florida, where there’s no state income tax, there’s the sense that this is a great opportunity to lure disgruntled tax refugees.

The Miami Downtown Development Authority is throwing a party next month during the annual Art Basel show, and Nitin Motwani, a real estate developer, has invited wealthy Northeasterners who’ve expressed interest in moving to the area. Because the proposed tax changes are practically begging them to relocate, Motwani expects a crowd.

State and local taxes, also called SALT, “can and should be a major catalyst,” said Motwani, a development authority board member. Tax reform will “certainly be something we’re highlighting” at the party, in the Perez Art Museum. “Inertia is a tough thing, but you add on another tax bill and maybe that pushes you over the edge.”

Jennifer Delacruz's Cooler Sunday Forecast

She's so amazing. I could watch her weather forecasts all day.

At ABC News 10 San Diego:

Best-Selling Deals

*BUMPED.*

Okay folks, thanks for shopping my Amazon links for the holidays. I really appreciate it!

More, Today's Deals.

And, a best-seller, Philips Hue White Smart Bulb Starter Kit (4 A19 Bulbs and 1 Bridge, Compatible with Amazon Alexa, Apple HomeKit and Google Assistant).

Also, Nest Learning Thermostat 3rd Generation, Stainless Steel, Works with Amazon Alexa.

Plus, Ring Wi-Fi Enabled Video Doorbell in Satin Nickel.

More, Bluetooth Headphones, VAVA MOOV 28 Wireless Sports Earphones in Ear Earbuds with 8 Hours Playtime (IPX5 Splashproof, aptX Stereo, Magnetic Aluminum Design, Noise Cancelling Mic).

Here, Roku Streaming Stick+ | 4K/HDR/HD streaming player with 4x the wireless range & voice remote with TV power and volume (2017).

Still more, TP-Link Smart Plug, No Hub Required, Wi-Fi, Control your Devices from Anywhere, Works with Alexa and Google Assistant (HS100).

BONUS: Brandon Sanderson, The Way of Kings.

ICYMI: George Saunders, Lincoln in the Bardo

At Amazon, George Saunders, Lincoln in the Bardo.