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

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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

Raising a Black Daughter in a Red State

I was raised in Orange County, in California, one of the reddest of the red states back in the 1970s. I have two sisters. Being a black (mixed-race) person, there's some things you deal with as a racial minority. Unfortunately, you have to deal with racism. We were lucky, though. Our parents were educated and middle class. We had a nice home in a nice area, with good schools. Our family was cultured. We traveled, in the U.S. and to Europe. I don't ever think my parents said it was a "heartbreak" to raise us in California. If anything, my dad thought it was much better than being raised in the South.

But this piece, from Shanita Hubbard at NYT, is a new classic in the genre of geographical polarization. If you're going to face racism, it's not going to be exclusively in "red states." You're just going to experience it and you're going to learn to deal with it, manage it, and make it less debilitating. And America today is nowhere near where it was back in the 1970s when I was growing up. It's much better, so much better, even in the Deep South.

In any case, FWIW, "The Heartbreak of Raising a Black Daughter in a Red State":

I must stay vigilant against the psychological damage of having my daughter internalize the feelings of inferiority that can occur when her peers imply she is less than them https://t.co/S4M49uL9WF

— NYT Opinion (@nytopinion) July 23, 2018

Nearly two years ago, I moved with my daughter, who was then 7, from Yonkers to a small town in Pennsylvania. It’s minutes outside of New Jersey, but right in the heart of Donald Trump’s America. Sixty-one percent of the people in my county voted for him.

Drive through most communities in my town and you’ll still see large blue Trump campaign signs on perfectly manicured lawns. Chances are, you’ll spot at least two newer-model pickup trucks with Confederate flag license plate frames. As I, a black woman, move through my daily routine, I exchange nonverbal social pleasantries with my neighbors — gestures that are calculated to avoid the kind of actual conversation that could quickly become uncomfortable. A quick nod. A small smile. But all the unspoken words that haunt my interactions in stores and on sidewalks seem to fall freely from children’s lips on the school playground.

Raising a brown girl in a solidly red area of a red state is giving me a front-row view of the way the current political climate is affecting young children.

In the past few months, it seems, there is a new, sad, pithy hashtag trending every week or so — a white person calling the police on a black family barbecuing, a black boy mowing a lawn or a little black girl selling bottled water. The interactions are dangerous and also send a dangerous message to children: There are people who believe you don’t belong here. That’s the message I worry my daughter will get every time we drive to school behind a car with a Confederate flag bumper sticker, and worse — when she’s with her classmates and I’m not there to protect her.

When I’m feeling particularly optimistic, I imagine that these kids must have been busy playing, out of earshot, when Mr. Trump’s calling African nations “shithole countries” was reported on the evening news. I try to convince myself that if their parents are defending a man who referred to neo-Nazis as “fine people,” it’s after all the children have gone to bed. I hold out a glimmer of hope that any praise for the “Muslim ban” is saved for when the youngest members of the household are preoccupied with screen time. I assure myself that no mother or father would tell a child that migrant kids from Mexico deserve to be separated from their parents and detained because they are “illegal.”

I am consistently jolted back to reality, and not just by evidence on the internet, like a video that surfaced of two white parents teaching children to be “patriotic” by vandalizing a mosque. My reminders come in the form of my daughter’s answers to “How was your school today?” One recent afternoon she reported that two girls she considered friends could no longer play with her. The reason: She’s brown...

I actually don't believe this story, about how kids wouldn't play with her daughter because "she's brown." And if something like this does happen, so what? You can't force people to play with you. Go find someone you like and enjoy being with. The world's not perfect, and it didn't start not being perfect with President Trump. What's wrong with our country today is leftist political correctness. It's so stultifying and hateful. I don't enjoy following politics and teaching politics as much as I used to, for these reasons exactly.

More at the link, FWIW.

Jeanine Pirro, Liars, Leakers, and Liberals

*BUMPED.*

Following-up, "Judge Jeanine Pirro Claims Whoopi Goldberg Treated Her Like a 'Dog' and Told Her to 'F*** Off' (VIDEO)."

At Amazon, Jeanine Pirro, Liars, Leakers, and Liberals: The Case Against the Anti-Trump Conspiracy.

Branson Duck Boat Tragedy (VIDEO)

At USA Today, "'Death traps': Federal officials have warned about dangers from duck boats for two decades," and "'I thought I was dead': Branson duck boat passenger who lost 9 family members shares survival story."

And watch, at CBS Evening News, "Video of duck boat's final moments show it struggling to stay afloat," and "Duck boats have a history of deadly accidents."

Also at NYT:

Tia Coleman lost 9 family members in the Missouri duck boat accident, among them her three children. “If they don’t make it, Lord,” she recalled praying, “take me too.” https://t.co/0jkUfIcOzM

— NYT National News (@NYTNational) July 23, 2018

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