Fabulous Events

Santa Barbara International Film Festival


Okay, it's confirm that I am obsess with Taraji P. Henson. She is slowly taking Gabrielle Union's crown. She looks fabulous yet once again in my favorite combination taupe and turquoise. Everything about this look is pure perfection!

6th Annual Leather and Lace Celebration

I know Superbowl weekend is every hoochie heaven but Kim Kardashian looks a hot mess! Word of wisdom; if you can see your bootie print in a dress it's time to go up one size.


Jordin Sparks always look so sweet and innocent. I am so relieved Hollywood haven't tainted her, not yet that is!

Support the Stimulus or the Terrorists Win

This is a pretty funny political cartoon, because it compares Republicans who are a no-go on the stimulus to "corrupt and deceitful" regimes, which Obama made the fist comments about during his inaugural address. This means that if you don't support a trillion dollars for a pork-laden monstrosity, you're a fucking terrorist! haha.

This parlays with the Democrats trying to blame The One's failed bipartisan support on a media personality, which might be a winning political strategy if you're reading the Hugo Chavez playbook. They've also unleashed a series of imbeciles to counter the so called "right wing noise" machine. The spokeswoman on Cavuto who forgot to take her meds and tried defending the stimulus package was incredibly humorous, particularly when she talked about buckets of money.

When you have the political opposition calling you traitors, you know you're doing something right and they are getting desperate. So, before we commit national suicide by passing this multi-headed hydra of wasteful spending, drop the cheesy rhetoric and consider what's in it. From Director Blue:

• $83 billion in welfare payments (the earned income credit for people who don't pay income tax)
• $81 billion for Medicaid
• $66 billion on "education", more than the entire Department of Education required just ten years ago
• $36 billion for expanded unemployment benefits
• $20 billion for food stamps
• $8 billion on "renewable energy" projects, which have a low or negative return
• $7 billion for "modernizing federal buildings and facilities"
• $6 billion on urban transit systems, dominated by unions and which, almost universally, lose money
• $2.4 billion for "carbon-capture demonstration projects"
• $2 billion for child-care subsidies
• $1 billion for Amtrak, the federal railroad that's run in the red for 40 years
• $650 million for "digital TV conversion coupons" (on top of billions already spent)
• $600 million on new cars for government (added to the $3 billion already spent each year)
• $400 million for "global-warming research"
• $50 million for the National Endowment for the Arts

And the President wants to cut out 10% of the DoD's budget, but spend more on keeping reliable voters on the dole? The Democrats strategy of patriot economics doesn't add up. Nice try though.

No Major Violence During Provincial Elections in Iraq

Compared to the violence that ravaged Iraq during the 2005 elections, this is nothing short of phenomenal, but not entirely surprising, since people over there predicted that things would go well. There was no major violence, even in troubled provinces like Ninawa and Diyala. From The Guardian:

Millions of Iraqis passed through security checkpoints and razor wire cordons today to vote in provincial elections considered to be a crucial test of the nation's stability.

Polls opened shortly after dawn after a step-by-step security clampdown across the country, including traffic bans in central Baghdad and other major cities and a closure of border crossings and airports.

By the time polls closed at 3pm GMT there were no reports of serious violence.

We should be reminded of what General Odierno said two weeks ago. From McClatchy:

Gen. Ray Odierno , the commanding U.S. general in Iraq , said that if the country held peaceful elections this year, the relative calm that had settled on Iraq would be "irreversible."

There's still national elections for Iraq later in the year, but the fact that U.S. forces are leaving a smaller footprint in Iraq is an encouraging sign that the Iraqi Security Forces are capable of taking care of business.

President Obama issued an offical statement congratulating the Iraqi people. The coalition forces will eventually leave Iraq and it will be a relatively stable democracy in a nation notorious for corrupt thug-ocracies. I'm not doing the Carlton dance to celebrate victory or anything, but it's certainly no Vietnam II like many predicted.

First They Came For the Bus-Shitters

Subrookie emails a tip that the WA legislature is going to pass a bill making defecation on a public bus a crime. From The Strangler:

HB 1606: The Nanny State Doesn't Want You to Shit on the Bus

Believe it or not, taking a dump on the bus is not explicitly prohibited by state law. But if Representative Geoff Simpson (D-47) has his way, the halcyon days when you could poop on public transit to your heart's content may be coming to an end. What's worse: Simpson's bill also makes the not-yet-open light-rail line a poo-free zone.

If homeless people can't drop a deuce on the bus or in the library, where the hell are they supposed to go?!?

President Gets Cozy With Union Thugs

The President gave a nod to Big Labor, which always tends to have Democrats in its pockets, by reversing some Bush-era rules for federal workplaces. What sweeping regulations did the "party of the working man" provide? AP has the details:

Labor, riding high after quick wins with President Barack Obama, faces the harsh reality that the Democratic-controlled Congress will not find it easy to push more fiercely contested legislation to improve the status of workers or the unions trying to organize them.

Obama on Friday issued executive orders that union officials say will undo Bush administration policies favoring employers. Among the orders, federal contractors would be required to offer jobs to current workers when contracts change, and they would be prevented from receiving reimbursement for expenses meant to influence worker decisions on joining unions or engaging in collective bargaining.

I don't really have anything against the concept of unions, lest we have some Upton Sinclair-like dystopia for American workers. But the unions became too powerful and too greedy following WWII. Notoriously slow to adapt to new technology in the manufacturing sector (e.g. the UAW was extremely hostile to automation in automotive assembly plants in the 70s), getting mixed up with organized crime (like when the Teamsters let the mob use its pension fund as a bank), and demanding such costly benefits that it caused the many once-great American industries to get eaten alive by foreign competition.

Today, labor might not be as powerful, but they certainly can wield some influence. Opposition to Free Trade with Colombia was under the guise of human rights abuses by Uribe's government (which has vastly improved since the 90s), but was really about protectionism. Boeing workers went on strike last year, costing the company billions. Unsurprisingly, Boeing will have to lay off thousands this year due to that loss of productivity. So color me unimpressed with Big Labor. But what's most troubling is that they are just another special interest group looking for federal laws to be manipulated to what's best for them instead of what's best for America. It's ripping our country apart.

Michael Steele Wins RNC Chairman

Watching his victory speech on Fox News right now. He's talking about making the GOP more desirable to all Americans (e.g. winning in Northeastern states). Steele is fiscally conservative but socially moderate, so hopefully he'll provide some much needed leadership once the Democrats fuck everything up and they're voted out of office. Not that I want America to fail under Obama's leadership, but it seems inevitable at this point.

All Hail Steele, and His Glorious Regime!

Nationalized Health Care Part of Stimulus Package

Health Services to Become Super Efficient Overnight!

The influential economist Paul Krugman writes today that we need nationalized health care...now! So it's a pretty sure thing that the Democratic Party has issued their marching orders and is going to dump the big turd that is socialized health care on the taxpayers. Ideological opposition to health care isn't a difficult case to make. It's way outside the Constitutional responsibilities of the federal government, breeds a culture of sloth and reliance on federal aid, and socialized health care allows the government to interfere more with citizens private affairs. Practically speaking, it's too damn expensive and the government isn't even capable of providing effective health services to disabled vets via the VA. But that didn't stop some opportunistic Dems from slipping in free health care as part of the stimulus plan. From Hot Air:

Rahm Emanuel once advised that crisis means opportunity, and the Democrats have taken that message to heart. They’ve exploited the sense of economic crisis in order to build a Trojan Horse stimulus bill that encompasses all of their legislative goals — and they’re trying to stampede people into supporting it out of panic. Hope and Change? More like Fear and Loathing.

What this does has nothing to do with stimulating the economy. Worse, it exponentially increases the difficulty in reforming entitlements, and Medicare already was the one program most in need of reform. It’s heading into insolvency even without the additional load of ten million new and unplanned subscribers in three weeks. Now, we will have even more subscribers to throw into the reform grinder, making it more painful than ever to effect the necessary changes to bring the program back into solvency.

Powerline has the details of how Medicaid is going to be made available to damn near everyone if the stimulus package becomes law. Also, CATO took out a full page ad in the NYT to warn America that the stimulus was going to be a bust. Some might say the Cloward-Piven strategy of orchestrating mass chaos in society to usher in a new regime is a bit conspiratorial. But it certainly seems to be going that way.

Awwkkwwaarrd! Lady Who Called Hillary a "Monster" To Work for Hillary

Most people say all kinds of bad things about their employer and/or boss. But it's generally in hushed tones at work and not to an international media source, like Samatha Powers did last March when she called Hillary a "monster" while she was an Obama aide. From CBS:

The Associated Press reports that Power will serve as senior director for multilateral affairs at the National Security Council. This may make for some awkwardness: In her new capacity, Power will be in close contact and may have to travel with Clinton, the new Secretary of State.

Since the media firestorm that greeted her comments, Power has been inching back into a more public role in the Obama fold. She reached out to Clinton and was on transition teams for the State Department and the U.S. mission to the United Nations.

Officials close to the transition told the Associated Press that Power's gestures of apology have been well-received by Clinton. The two have met privately since the election. Both Clinton and Power appeared at the recent announcement of Obama's special envoys to South Asia and the Middle East, where they exchanged brief remarks.

Haha, to please Hillary Powers probably had to kiss her ring like some 14th-century penitent in the Vatican. Photos of Samantha Powers in the stockade outside Foggy Bottom will be posted once they become available.

Best Dressed Diva Of Week: Taraji P. Henson

Taraji P. Henson looked flawless this week. First in the gorgeous white jersey Herve Leroux dress and then in the black and white Angel Sanchez dress leaving me still gasping for air. The Oscar nominee is the one to watch in 2009!

Fashion Dinner For Aids

Mischa Barton looks absolutely stunning in this pastel floral applique asymmetrical Elie Saab dress.

Designer Elie Saab and Dita Von Teese

Dita Von Teese looks like a work of art in her pastel embroidered Elie Saab draped dress.

I usually don't like florals and ruffles together but Diane Kruger looks gorgeous in this Nina Ricci dress.

Is everyone wearing Elie Saab at this event? Milla Jovovich looks great in this silver beaded Elie Saab dress.

Carla Bruni, France's First Lady, looks beautiful in this royal blue satin YSL dress. She has been compare to First Lady Michelle Obama because of their impeccable style.

It's my birthday

^^A penguin reflects on this day of remembrance.^^

No post today, I feel that the full impact of my birth is enough to keep the animals in line until Monday.

In the meantime, you can make this penguin cry by buying a shirt. For your dog. Or a mug. Or a thong. Or a 1973 Chevy Camaro (Penguins hate American made, it's why their documentary was French).

Fabulous Events

VH1 Presents Pepsi Smash Super Bowl

I have to admit every time I hear one of Rihanna's songs except "Umbrella", I cringe because lets face it, Rihanna can't sing but I love seeing her on the carpet. She is funky and edgy and only a few people can rock those over-the-knee Louboutins!

What the hell! Kim Kardashian either fired her new stylist or she resorting back to fashion crack. She looks a hot mess from her atrocious hair(or wig) to that Vegas Showgirl dress! This foolishness is driving me to drink!

"Push" Los Angeles Premiere

This little girl is not playing. Dakota Fanning looks tre chic in this gray pleated dress. I am loving the pockets.


I am beginning to start loving Kimora Lee Simmons and Djimon Hunsou. At first I thought it was a publicity stunt but they are growing on me. Kimora has been looking a little plump lately. Are those pregnancy rumors true!

Camilla Belle looks like she has a wig on her head and I don't care for her printed Alexander McQueen sheath dress at all. She is losing her mojo!

Hackers Provide Public Service, Alert Motorists To Looming Zombie Apocalypse

This is something bloggers like The Sniper and myself have been trying to do ever since Obama got elected! God bless these technically-savvy social deviants for providing such an important PSA. From Fox News:

Transportation officials in Texas are scrambling to prevent hackers from changing messages on digital road signs after one sign in Austin was altered to read, "Zombies Ahead."

Chris Lippincott, director of media relations for the Texas Department of Transportation, confirmed that a portable traffic sign at Lamar Boulevard and West 15th Street, near the University of Texas at Austin, was hacked into during the early hours of Jan. 19.

ABWF tips us off with video footage from Austin, but there were no zombies filmed feasting on brains. They must be still slogging their way back from the coronation in D.C. last week.

Just Like Witches at Black Masses

Brandon Friedman (A-stan vet) has some sharp analysis on why we need more troops in Afghanistan that's worth a read. Other COIN luminaries have called for more troops in Afghanistan, and the President has as well. I agree, but there still needs to be a larger active-duty force, which has been pretty steady since 9/11 to prevent morale/readiness problems. But at least it looks like things are going okay in Iraq. Ramblings from a Painter (works at the new embassy in Baghdad) has the scoop on the Provincial Elections scheduled for Saturday:

With over 14,400 candidates vying for 440 council seats, there are a lot of people looking for air time for their messages. I was watching an Iraqi channel on TV a little while ago and saw non-stop political ads. I mean non-stop: there wasn't any scheduled programming! Just ads for this candidate or that, with a bunch of "rock-the-vote" style ads in between.

If "too many candidates" is the biggest problem facing Iraqi elections, I'd wager that's pretty good. This is in comparison to 2005 where the Sunnis all boycotted and violence went through the roof. Sure, Iraq still has a lot of problems with poverty, refugees, and corruption, but as far as our military is concerned..."Mission Accomplished". Yeah, I said it, and I'm not even wearing a flight suit with a cod piece. Hopefully our forces can leave Iraq without a lot of problems, because the writing is on the wall that Afghanistan is ramping up.

Governor Blago, We Hardly Knew Ye

Unsurprisingly, the Blagmeister got thrown out of office today, where he will spend the rest of his life shaking down Chicago-area tourists with 3-card Monte. From MSNBC:

Gov. Rod Blagojevich was convicted at his impeachment trial and thrown out of office Thursday, ending a nearly two-month crisis that erupted with his arrest on charges he tried to sell Barack Obama's vacant Senate seat.

Blagojevich becomes the first U.S. governor in more than 20 years to be removed by impeachment.

After a four-day trial, the Illinois Senate voted 59-0 to convict him on the broad charge of abuse of power, then again to disqualify him from ever again holding office in Illinois.

Blago is pretty much the embodiment of every politician: self-absorbed, super sleazy, and always prattling on about how they "help" poor or working families. We will all miss his shenanigans.

2009 Spring Couture:African-American Models

CHRISTIAN DIOR

JEAN PAUL GAULTIER

CHRISTIAN LACROIX

CHANEL

GIVENCHY

VALENTINO

The usual suspects of African-American models were on the Paris runway. Chanel Iman, Jourdan Dunn, Sessilee Lopez and Aminata Niaria. It's a damn shame you can count them all on just one hand.

I guess I was being too optimistic to think the designers would cast more African-Americans in their shows after the Italian Vogue "Black Issue". There are numerous fabulous African-American models who just do only one or two shows a season while their Caucasian counter-parts do an average of 20 shows a season. Why can't we be represented more fairly on the runway?

A friend of mine who used to model in New York informed me that it's not always the designers fault. African-American models have a bad reputation for being late, unprofessional and having a bad attitude...ouch! I only know of one model who can get away with that and it's Naomi Campbell because she is fierce on the runway. If you are not Naomi, and do have these characteristics you can't blame anyone for your foolishness!