THE CAMP OF THE SAINTS IS JUST A NOVEL, RIGHT GUYS? RIGHT? GUYS? A Mass Migration Crisis, and It May Yet Get Worse.

They arrived in an unceasing stream, 10,000 a day at the height, as many as a million migrants heading for Europe this year, pushing infants in strollers and elderly parents in wheelchairs, carrying children on their shoulders and life savings in their socks. They came in search of a new life, but in many ways they were the heralds of a new age.

There are more displaced people and refugees now than at any other time in recorded history — 60 million in all — and they are on the march in numbers not seen since World War II. They are coming not just from Syria, but from an array of countries and regions, including Afghanistan, Iraq, Gaza, even Haiti, as well as any of a dozen or so nations in sub-Saharan and North Africa. They are unofficial ambassadors of failed states, unending wars, intractable conflicts.

The most striking thing about the current migration crisis, however, is how much bigger it could still get. . . . “The global north must be prepared that the global south is on the move, the entire global south. This is not just a problem for Europe but for the whole world.”

It’s not a migration crisis. It’s an invasion.

MY USA TODAY COLUMN: Want To Reduce Inequality? Abolish The Ivy League!

AT AMAZON, deals galore at the Men’s Denim Store.

Plus, deals on Hunting & Tactical Knives.

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R.I.P. FRED THOMPSON: Michael Ledeen looks back on “A hell of a guy, what we used to call a ‘real American,’ a patriot to the core, a fine father and husband, a great friend,” along with video of Thompson’s visit to the PJTV booth at the 2008 Republican Convention, where he delivered his words of warning to Michael Moore.

IT’S TELLING THAT SHE WAITED UNTIL RETIREMENT TO SAY THIS: Girls must choose career or motherhood, says top head; Leading headteacher tells schoolgirls they need to choose between career or motherhood.

Teachers must tell girls that they need to choose between their careers and motherhood instead of misleading them with the “lie” that they can have both, according to a leading headmistress.

Vivienne Durham, of independent Francis Holland Regent’s Park, says girls need to be prepared for the real world and teachers should not tell them there is no “glass ceiling”.

“I’m sorry, I’m not a feminist. I believe there is a glass ceiling – if we tell them there isn’t one, we are telling them a lie,” she said in an interview with Absolutely Education magazine.

“Women still have to plan for a biological fact – ie motherhood.”

Speaking to the Telegraph, Mrs Durham said that girls need to be realistic about the decisions they make and should not be criticised for choosing one path over another. . . .

Mrs Durham’s comments come after one of Britain’s leading fertility experts wrote to education secretary Nicky Morgan earlier this year demanding that school pupils are warned of the dangers of delaying motherhood.

Geeta Nargund called for fertility to be discussed in school to stop the “shock” of women who later realise they have left it too late to start a family after first pursuing their careers.

A report by former Minister for Women and Equalities, Jo Swinson, published last year separately said that girls cannot “have it all” and are unable to combine a successful career, motherhood and beauty.

I wonder if gathering demographic clouds are starting to change the messaging on this sort of thing.

LIFE IN THE 21ST CENTURY: How Uber’s Autonomous Cars Will Destroy 10 Million Jobs and Reshape the Economy by 2025. “Industry experts think that consumers will be slow to purchase autonomous cars – while this may be true, it is a mistake to assume that this will impede the transition. Morgan Stanley’s research shows that cars are driven just 4% of the time,5 which is an astonishing waste considering that the average cost of car ownership is nearly $9,000 per year.6 Next to a house, an automobile is the second most expensive asset that most people will ever buy – it is no surprise that ride sharing services like Uber and car sharing services like Zipcar are quickly gaining popularity as an alternative to car ownership. It is now more economical to use a ride sharing service if you live in a city and drive less than 10,000 miles per year.7 The impact on private car ownership is enormous: a UC-Berkeley study showed that vehicle ownership among car sharing users was cut in half.8 The car purchasers of the future will not be you and me – cars will be purchased and operated by ride sharing and car sharing companies.”

Well, with luck this stuff will come around before I get too old to drive myself.

YEAH, PRETTY MUCH: John Hinderaker: It’s Time For Jeb To Go.

Well, I thought so in January.

HIGHER EDUCATION BUBBLE UPDATE: Layoffs And Program Closures At Rider University. “The cuts are in response to financial challenges, the university said in a written statement, and will result in annual savings of about $2 million.” You know it’s serious, because they eliminated two administrative positions along with a total of 19 faculty positions.

Who could have seen this coming?

BRAVEST MAN ON THE PLANET? Canon Andrew White: ‘Vicar of Baghdad’ on leading a church in Iraq and being in the crosshairs of Isis.

White reopened St George’s church after the invasion of Iraq even though civil war raged and the diplomats and ex-pats who had once made up the congregation no longer dared to go there.

Iraqis came instead, and the congregation reached a peak of 6,500. They built a school, a clinic and food bank. White pledged to stay even as the sound of bombs grew louder. “We had Isis on the doorstep of Baghdad last year. I said to my people, ‘I will not leave you; don’t leave me.’ But many did leave me and they went to Nineveh and Mosul. Isis were there too. There was total mayhem.”

More than 1,200 men, women and children who worshipped with him have been killed in recent years, he says. Four boys he knew were beheaded because they refused to swear allegiance to Islam. The church caretaker was forced to watch as his five-year-old boy was cut in half.

There used to be 1.5 million Christians in Iraq but now there are only 260,000, he says. Some are calling it genocide. Surely he no longer believes that negotiations with Isis could work? White stares at me from behind owlish spectacles. “Can I be honest? You are absolutely right. You can’t negotiate with them. I have never said that about another group of people. These are really so different, so extreme, so radical, so evil. . . .

But surely there is only one logical conclusion to be drawn? He sighs, and answers slowly. “You are asking me how we can deal radically with Isis. The only answer is to radically destroy them. I don’t think we can do it by dropping bombs. We have got to bring about real change. It is a terrible thing to say as a priest.

“You’re probably thinking, ‘So you’re telling me there should be war?’ Yes!”

I am shocked by his answer, because this is a man who has risked his life many times to bring peace.

“It really hurts. I have tried so hard. I will do anything to save life and bring about tranquillity, and here I am forced by death and destruction to say there should be war.”

Kill them all. Let God sort them out.

FRED THOMPSON HAS DIED. I met him a number of times over the years, and we worked together on some PJTV projects. He was a true gentleman and a very smart guy. My condolences to Jeri and to his children.

JOHN HARWOOD IS MERELY THE WORST: A recent history of Presidential Debate moderators:

In 2004, the CPD moderators were Jim Lehrer of PBS, Bob Schieffer of CBS and Charlie Gibson of ABC while Gwen Ifill of PBS moderated the Vice Presidential debate.

In 2008, the CPD moderators were Jim Lehrer of PBS, Bob Schieffer of CBS and Tom Brokaw of NBC while PBS’s Gwen Ifill moderated the Vice Presidential debate.

In 2012, the CPD moderators were Jim Lehrer of PBS, Bob Schieffer of CBS and Candy Crowley of CNN while Martha Raddatz of ABC moderated the Vice Presidential debate.

If you haven’t detected a pattern yet, here’s hoping you don’t drive. Of the 12 moderators, none has had a thought from a conservative standpoint. Honestly, it wouldn’t be surprising to find out that none had ever voted for a Republican in their lifetime.

Message to the GOP: You don’t have to put up with this, so don’t.

WELL, THAT’S ENCOURAGING: Bubonic Plague Found in Oregon Teenager. “Plague is rare and treatable with antibiotics if caught early, but federal authorities have been puzzled by an increase in cases this year. . . . In recent decades, an average of seven human plague cases have been reported each year, according to the disease centers. Since April 1, there have been at least 11 cases in the United States of plague in humans, three of them fatal, affecting residents of Arizona, California, Colorado, Georgia, New Mexico, and Oregon, the C.D.C. said in August.” Is it just me, or are we seeing a more general resurgence of diseases we’d nearly forgotten about? And, if so, why?

FUNNY, THE NEW YORK TIMES HATES THE USE OF ARBITRATION IN CIVIL SUITS BECAUSE IT DENIES PEOPLE THEIR “DAY IN COURT,” but it’s strongly in favor of campus sexual assault tribunals that do the same thing. Tentative explanation: Both trial lawyers and universities are major Democratic constituencies, so simple decency demands that both get what they want.

Just note this bit:

If the case had been heard in civil court, Ms. Pierce would have been able to appeal, raising questions about testimony, destruction of evidence and potential conflicts of interest.

But arbitration, an investigation by The New York Times has found, often bears little resemblance to court.

The parallels are stunning. . . .

DARN. If Oil Prices Stay Low, Saudi Arabia Will Run Out Of Cash In 5 Years.

AT AMAZON, Gifts For The Grill Master.

Plus, deals in Pens & Writing.

WHAT COULD GO WRONG? German Town of 102 to ‘Welcome’ 750 Refugees. Well, here’s a clue: “One of the few people, in fact, who seem enthusiastic about the plan for Sumte is Holger Niemann, 32, an admirer of Hitler and the lone neo-Nazi on the elected district council. He rejoices at the opportunities the migrant crisis has offered.”

APPROPRIATE TECHNOLOGY: The 807, A Vacuum Tube For The Ages. The 12AX7 is no slouch, either.

FOR WHEN YOU’RE FRESH OUT OF SOMA: Mood-Enhancers—and Mood-Breakers—In Tabletop Role-Playing Games.

MONEY IN POLITICS IS EVIL AND UGLY, RIGHT? A Deeper Look Into Mike Boomberg’s Extraordinary Expenditure In The Virginia Elections. “Bloomberg is absolutely determined to buy this election for himself, and he doesn’t care if he has to use issues other than guns to do it. If he’s successful, he will still own Dan Gecker, and he can use it however he wants. No one will care how he bought it. Our people need to turn out in large numbers. Don’t believe for a minute that Bloomberg doesn’t have the money or the drive to buy your state government away from the people of Virginia and make you vassals of the New York elite.”

McDONALD’S GETS BACKLASH FOR ‘GHETTO’ REDESIGN:

Shot:

He was a demon for cleanliness. From the overall appearance, to the parking lot, to the kitchen floor, to the uniforms, cleanliness was foremost and essential. “If you have time to lean, you have time to clean,” was one of his favorite axioms. He was dead on, of course. The first impression you get from a restaurant, through the eyes and nose, is often what determines whether you’ll go back.

— “Burger Meister Ray Kroc,” Time magazine, December 7, 1998.

Chaser:

Burger loving Brits are not lovin’ a McDonald’s in England that underwent a trashy makeover — that makes it look vandalized.

Residents of Redhill, about two hours south of London, say the “ghetto” design leaves a bad taste in their mouths.

“How insulting to all the decent people out there. What an absolute disgrace – get rid of it,” Rachel Karn told the Surrey Mirror. “Don’t they realize it sends a message that graffiti is somehow okay?”

— “McDonald’s gets backlash for ‘ghetto’ redesign,” the New York Post, this past Thursday.

Hangover:

 [New CEO Steve Easterbrook] plans to unveil his plan for turning McDonald’s into a “modern, progressive burger company” on May 4.

* * * * * * * *

Would it surprise you to learn that Easterbrook is a Brit?

Me, neither.

Meet you at Steak ‘n Shake?

— “McDonald’s Is Doomed,” Stephen Green, April 23, 2015.

NEWS YOU CAN USE: Cats Are Neurotic, and Yes, They Want to Kill You.

BY THE WAY, Jim Butcher’s new book is surprisingly good. I say “surprisingly” because I’ve only been lukewarm to his previous non-Dresden Files works, but this one is holding my interest.

THIS PROBABLY EXPLAINS WHY OUR APPLICATIONS ARE UP: U.S. News ranks UT Law among top 10 law schools graduating students with least debt.

AMERICAN CATHOLICS RIOT OVER WHITE HOUSE SACRILEGE.

RAVEN-SYMONÉ SLAMMED FOR ‘GHETTO’ NAME COMMENT, BUT ARE HER CONCERNS VALID? “While you may consider Symoné’s comments inappropriate, the reality of her statement still stands. What you choose to say about your children at birth will be a reflection they carry with them for the rest of their lives. This decision is not something to be taken lightly; rather, parents need to consider several important things when choosing a child’s name.”