Hot trend: Why Knot?

knot top by Gucci s/s 2011

asos dress coming soon

a couple of knotted belts

knotted dress worn by Keira Knightley

Chic Real New York Wedding | Green Wedding Inspiration Board

Ginger & Tim were married this past July and what a pretty chic garden wedding they had! I love their colors! Such a crisp and and beautifully fresh green, more like a celadon, SO lovely! The favors were personalized olive oil glass jars along with mini herb plants that were placed in sweet metal pails. 

Details:

Photographer:  Timecut Photography

Event Planner:  SMP EVENTS LLC

DJ:  DJ's AT LARGE

Makeup Artist:  la-makeup

xo

The Political and Psychological Benefits of Crying "Racism!"

James Taranto explores the reasons why liberals continue to accuse their adversaries of racism.

The short answer:

Baselessly accusing their political foes of racism is a way in which today's liberals attempt to incite fear and loathing of "the other." As we argued last year, this serves a political purpose in that it helps persuade blacks not to consider voting Republican. But it serves a psychological purpose as well. It reinforces white liberals' sense of their own superiority.

But read the whole thing.

This has been going on for years. The race card has been played so promiscuously and perniciously by race hustlers and guilty white liberals that it's almost become as bad as actually being racist. That's a good thing. Falsely accusing someone of rape, may not be as bad as someone being an actual rapist, but it's pretty close. It certainly is an evil and disgusting thing to do.

As former Journ-o-lister Spencer Ackerman suggested to his fellow liberals in what he thought was a secret memo on how to deal with Obama's critics:

... take one of them — Fred Barnes, Karl Rove, who cares — and call them racists. Ask: why do they have such a deep-seated problem with a black politician who unites the country? What lurks behind those problems? This makes *them* sputter with rage, which in turn leads to overreaction and self-destruction.

Being called a racist in this country is about as bad a thing as you can be called. To use the charge as a weapon unconcerned about whether its actually true, is the height of poisonous irresponsibility. In short, it's a lowlife thing to do. And those who do it should be called to account for it.

On the Torture Question, a Bunch of Baloney

Wait a minute, Osama Bin Laden was unarmed when he was shot and killed by American warriors? Isn't that against the law.

Meanwhile, over at Attytood, anti-torture zealot Will Bunch is firmly asserting that the sort of rough interrogation tactics that he calls "torture" had nothing to do with gleaning the intelligence that led to the killing of Bin Laden.

Writes Bunch:

It's time to tear down a myth right now before it spreads. Torture had absolutely nothing to do with killing Osama bin Laden. Nothing. Zero. Ziilch. Nada.

And he would know, of course, better than CIA Director Leon Panetta, who says it's an "open question" whether Enhanced Interrogation Techniques (waterboarding, etc.) helped the intelligence community get the information needed to track down Bin Laden.

Time mag reports:

A former head of counterterrorism at the CIA, who was investigated last year by the Justice Department for the destruction of videos showing senior al-Qaeda officials being interrogated, says that the harsh questioning of terrorism suspects produced the information that eventually led to Osama bin Laden’s death.

Jose Rodriguez ran the CIA’s CounterTerrorism Center from 2002 to 2005 during the period when top al-Qaeda leaders Khalid Sheikh Mohammad (KSM) and Abu Faraj al-Libbi were taken into custody and subjected to “enhanced interrogation techniques” at secret black site prisons overseas. KSM was subjected to waterboarding, sleep deprivation and other techniques. Al Libbi was not waterboarded, but other EITs were used on him.

“Information provided by KSM and Abu Faraj al Libbi about Bin Laden’s courier was the lead information that eventually led to the location of [bin Laden’s] compound and the operation that led to his death,” Rodriguez tells TIME in his first public interview. Rodriguez was cleared of charges in the video destruction investigation last year. (Read CIA Director Leon Panetta’s first interview since the bin Laden raid.)

Rodriguez’s assertion drew criticism from the White House. “There is no way that information obtained by [enhanced interrogation techniques] was the decisive intelligence that led us directly to bin Laden,” says National Security Council spokesman Tommy Vietor. “It took years of collection and analysis from many different sources to develop the case that enabled us to identify this compound, and reach a judgment that bin Laden was likely to be living there.”

So neither the White House nor the CIA is asserting that EITs had "Nothing. Zero. Ziilch (sic). Nada," with the years-long and ultimately successful effort to bring justice to America's most wanted terrorist.

Because Bunch has such a distaste for the idea of inflicting pain on captured terrorists even if it is done to save American lives, he is committed to claiming that it can't work, despite any evidence that it can and sometimes does. This is a bad place for any thinking person, let alone a journalist, to find himself.

Few of Will's blog readers sound convinced of his assertion. And rightly so.

Interview with Coup de Coeur Shopping Concierge | NYC Wedding Shopping Concierge

Can't find that perfect dress? Stressed out about the whole process, not sure what looks best on you? Well now there is Coup de Coeur Shopping Concierge, Manhattan’s premier shopping service, announces their expansion into the bridal industry, providing brides with a ‘front row’ shopping experience of New York’s top bridal designers and ateliers.

Named one of the Best Personal Shoppers in New York City by Page Six, Lela, interviews Coup de Coeur.

1. What is Coup de Coeur Shopping Concierge? And what services do you provide for the bride and groom?

Coup de Coeur is a stylish firm providing a variety of shopping based services. We are Manhattan’s first ‘shopping concierge’. Our main focus is high-end, personalized shopping tours for private clients. Our tours give clients the convenience and luxury of having their own personal shopper. After an initial consultation, we develop a targeted shopping list with a focused itinerary.

Brides-to-be (and their wedding parties) can expect a well-organized and executed shopping experience with VIP access to private showrooms, designer ateliers and bridal salons.

2. Any insider tips for the bride to be aware of or avoid when looking for that perfect wedding dress?

We suggest that the bride take into consideration her body type first and foremost. The right style and cut of the dress can bring out the best in their shape. The next important factor in choosing a dress is to choose a fabric and style that evokes the time of day, venue, destination and season. The bride’s dress sets the scene for the tone of the wedding, or vise-versa. You wouldn’t want to be in 80 degree weather in a corseted ball gown at an outdoor wedding! Also, don’t let your ‘dream dress’ work against you, sometimes what a girl imagined isn’t what flatters a woman.

3. Any bridal fashion trends you see happening in weddings?

Brides are leaving the ‘princess’ look and searching for a more unique and fashion forward gown. Designer trends and runway style evening dresses are more current.

4. Do you have a favorite shopping story that you want to share?

When most people think of brides-to-be, they imagine a 20 or 30 something girl getting married for the first time. Well, our last client was a 50 something woman getting married for the first time! She was very career focused and is very successful, so true love came to her a bit later in the game. With her, it was all about finding something elegant and appropriate. Although she had a generous budget for her dress and could afford our highest-end designer partners, ‘the one’ ending up being from a cool downtown bridal atelier and from a small up-and-coming designer. Why? Because this one fit and flattered her the most!


5. How do you stay motivated, what inspires you?

Our motivation is from helping real women find their perfect dress and alleviating their stress to find the best option for their budget, style and personality. It is truly FUN to share the experience with our clients and make them feel confident on their special day!

A little more about Coup de Coeur:
Founders Lucia Marcelle Tait and Amanda Doll Sheppard provide brides-to-be with a customized experience that focuses on their personal style, wedding plans and budget to discover their ideal dress.
Clients can expect VIP attention and special perks while shopping in private designer showrooms including Marchesa, Badgley Mischka and Angel Sanchez, bridal ateliers like Gabriella, Lovely Bride and Mark Ingram and a diverse array of stores from Carolina Herrera to J. Crew.

xo

Risky Business in Pakistan

Headline on AP story about Killing Osama:

Bin Laden mission was risky business for Obama

Well, yeah. And it was risky for the guys who actually carried it out too. I'm all for giving credit where credit is due. But let's not forget who the real men were in this deal. If it fails, Obama takes a political hit. But the Navy Seals who went in to deliver justice to OBL, were risking a whole lot more.

Worth A Thousand Words