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NYFW Day 6




Misha Nonoo F/W 2013 Collection

So this is what I wore on my last day at NYFW. I opted for a more casual approach, pairing a red leather jacket with ripped jeans and heels. I wore this look at Misha Nonoo's Presentation that took place at the great Standard Hotel.
I must say that Nonoo's collection was a little bit closer to my origins and I loved that. Russian inspirations with the specific fur hats( my mum had one like this) and long military coats.
My trip to N.Y for Fashion Week coming to an end was so bittersweet but I'm so grateful for everything and I want to thank one more time to Polyvore team for this incredible experience  and also for the great accommodation at the Hudson Hotel!
Polyvore you are the best!



                                                                               Jacket: Zara/ Here
                                                                               Top: vintage Christian Dior/ option Here
                                                                               Jeans: American Eagle/ option Here 
                                                                               Bag: 3.1 Phillip Lim/ another great one Here 
                                                                               Heels: Shoemint
                                                                               Cuff bracelet: Chanel
                                                                               Sunglasses: c/o zeroUV/ Here


The Curse Of The LO/INFO Voter ... J. D. Longstreet

The Curse Of The LO/INFO Voter   ...   J. D. Longstreet
The Curse Of The LO/INFO Voter
A Commentary b J. D. Longstreet

******************

The LO/INFO voter -- sometimes referred to as LIV's -- are a curse on America.  It is they who are driving America's "post constitution" government.  They, however, are SO low-information they have no idea their influence may lie at the root of the problems America faces today.

Now.  Who are these LO/Info voters?  What is a Lo/Info voter?  Let's take a closer look. 

I will guarantee when we finish here you will KNOW who a Lo/Info voter is -- and -- you might be surprised to learn that YOU fall within their ranks.  Not to worry.  Most of us have been, at one time in our lives, card carrying members of the Lo/Info voter classification.

Let's begin with the obvious.  Lo/Info voters are people who may vote, but who are, generally speaking, poorly (or badly) informed about politics.  That fact alone speaks volumes concerning the inherent weakness of a democracy.  It can certainly be considered an important reason the Founders of America decided that a Representative Republic was the way to go for this fledgling country and it's government.

The LIV's could not define their political ideology if their lives depended upon it.  As a rule, with some exceptions, of course, they have no political ideology of their own.  Instead, they choose candidates that are, for whatever reason, appealing to them.  It could be as simple as the physical appearance of the candidate. In fact, it often IS the visage of the candidate.  For instance, America's last balding President was Dwight Eisenhower.

Having no coherent political ideology the LIV's are more likely to be swing voters, and they will split a ticket in a heartbeat.

Some years ago, I was conversing with a young man about an upcoming Presidential Election.  He volunteered that he probably would not vote because his vote didn't really make a difference anyway.  I tried to convince him, as best I could, that he was wrong.  But as the conversation went on I began to understand that this young man knew squat about America's political system. He was married, a high school graduate with possibly some college, a veteran, gainfully employed, and dumb as a post about politics in America. He was, and I suspect still is, a LIV. 

I have a friend, a middle-aged government employee, very intelligent, with more than one college degree, married, very successful in his chosen field, who, when asked his opinion on something or other the government is proposing in Congress, responds with:  "I don't worry about stuff like that.  There's nothing I can do about it. So why worry?"

Do either of these examples remind you of some of your friends and acquaintances?

These are LO/INFO voters ... and they are dangerous to America.

America was very carefully designed for  people who were educated, moral, and involved in the politics of the country. Over the two and a half centuries America has been on the scene we have seen what can happen to her and her government as fewer and fewer Americans deign to take part in the governing process.

By taking part, I mean not just voting, but following, closely, the goings on in the Congress and the Oval Office and writing letters, e-mails and telephoning or faxing their representative in Congress over their concerns about proposed legislation, etc. It means attending City Council meetings, at least occasionally,  and County Commissioner meetings, too.  All these politicians need to see you and hear you and KNOW hey are being held accountable to and by the voters who selected them as their representatives.

It is frighteningly easy to see what happens to a government when the electorate does not  stay involved.  We get exactly what we have today in Washington -- a Congress that is so out of touch with their constituents as to seem almost rogue in nature. 

The current government of the US is a product of the lo/info voter.  Who else but lo/info voters would vote for a man for President based simply on the color of his skin?  How do we get so many worthless, corrupt, politicians returned term after term to the Congress except by the votes of lo/info voters? 

So now, we are paying the price.  We're broke, under water, quickly becoming a third-world country, and we're scratching our collective heads wondering how we ever got into this mess.

I submit that wondering how we got into this mess is not the real question.  We already know the answer to that.

 The real question is "How do we get out of this mess?"

© J. D. Longstreet

past & present - book joy

Merry Monday to all! I hope your weekend was full of giggles and cocktails. I enjoyed both, as well as a very high pitched game of floor wrestling. Eve likes to scream as she wrestles. It's part of her charm.

You will be happy to know that I've picked out my St. Patrick's Day present. Now I know that St. Patrick's Day isn't normally known as a gift giving holiday, but I figure the money I would spend on holiday libations will more than cover the cost of the book.

It's called Past & Present: 24 Favorite Moments in Decorative Arts History and 24 Modern DIY Projects Inspired by Them (how's that for a title). Amy Azzarito of Design Sponge wrote it and I need it.

Basically she picks 24 artists and designers (like Eddie Ross and Todd Oldhman)to create a DIY project inspired by her all time favorite moments in decorative history. Genius. And a DIYer's idea of a good time. Total side note: does anyone else remember watching Todd Oldham and Cindy Crawford on MTV's House of Style way long ago? I just dated myself for sure. And outed myself as someone who watches entirely too much tv. Moving on.

Past & Present
The book comes out March 5th in stores, or you can preorder here. I can't wait! Even the cover has me all giddy.

Read any good books lately?

Overcoming Their Own Worst Enemy ... J. D. Longstreet

Overcoming Their Own Worst Enemy   ...   J. D. Longstreet
Overcoming Their Own Worst Enemy
A Commentary by J. D. Longstreet
****************


Liberal guilt created a permanent underclass of citizens in America about one hundred and fifty years ago and still there is no light at the end of the tunnel for that underclass to claw their way towards IF they ever hope to crawl out of the societal hole liberals tossed them into at the end of America's "War Between the States."  

There is another entirely different commentary to be written about the way liberals have suckered the black race in America and taken credit for any and all advances American blacks have made since the Civil War.  Most of the left's claims are pure bovine scatology but their willing accomplices in the intellectual community, the halls of academia, and the Mainstream Media have taken those lies and transformed them them into what is recognized today as history.  Never mind that that so-called "history" is mostly lies.  It IS the official record.  And that, dear reader, is THAT.

It is the national leadership of the black community in America where, I think, the problem lies.

But there is a crying need for leadership at a much more critical level.  In the home, in the family, and in the black neighborhoods.

The black family desperately needs two parents at the head of the family unit ... a mother and a FATHER.  That young black male can learn much from his mother --  but -- how to be a responsible, disciplined, self-respecting man, a masculine contributor to society,  can be learned ONLY from a father.  The home is where real leadership begins, where it is born, and where respect for leadership is taught.  It is also where accountability is learned and where one learns to take responsibility for one's own actions or inactions.

It is jaw-dropping to realize that an entire race of people in America were given freedom over 150 years ago and so little progress has been made as a race, as a class, in bettering themselves, taking advantage of the blessings of this country,  seizing the guilt offerings from white America and using all of it to make their way up the ladder of progress  until they truly stand on a level societal field. It just has not happened. 

If anything, with exceptions, of course, the vast majority of American blacks seem to take pride in their victimhood, assumed or real.  See, little is expected of victims.  It is SAFE to play the part of the victim. And besides, white America loves to "rescue" victims by lavishing all sorts of goodies on them if only to assuage the guilt they (white America) feel for having victimized the poor "victim" in the first place.

Then along comes someone like Dr. Ben Carson and blows a hole the size of the moon through all the BS the leaders of the black community have thrown up the past 150 years -- and what happens?  Well, of course, he is attacked for it.  He's not "down" with the "cause."

See, Ben Carson is an embarrassment to the black community.  That alone should tell you just how convoluted the thinking within that hapless community of people really is.

Here's a man who made the most of every opportunity he found, or came his way, or that he himself could create. Ambitious?  HELL, Yes!  But ambition is a necessary element in striving to better your lot in life.

"Black people created their own stereotype. Now its hard for me to be a educated young black man without being labeled as 'acting white." (Quote from "unknown.")

Nobody seems to know who actually created or verbalized the quote above but it is unarguably true.

Mychal Massie, in an Article for WND entitled: "Blacks: Their own worst enemy" said the following: "If you are black, when was the last time you applauded the accomplishment of another black who didn’t play victim or have an edge of militancy earmarking said accomplishment?

Blacks are inculcated from the womb to believe that whites, especially conservatives, are out to get them. Living under that onus creates a debilitating vestige of rage, resentment and inferiority. In reality, whites, apart from liberals who trade on black immiseration, are not interested in holding blacks down or treating them unfairly. And in no way do they reference blacks in the same disparaging ways blacks do them."
SOURCE:  http://www.wnd.com/2007/10/43800/#zqvc6ysDx2m6RJvd.99

(Mr. Massie is, himself, black. He is the former chairman of the National Leadership Network of Black Conservatives-Project 21 – a conservative black think tank located in Washington, D.C. He was recognized as the 2008 Conservative Man of the Year by the Conservative Party of Suffolk County, N.Y. He is a nationally recognized political activist, pundit and columnist. He has appeared on Fox News Channel, CNN, MSNBC, C-SPAN, NBC, Comcast Cable and talk-radio programming nationwide. A former self-employed business owner of more than 30 years, Massie's website is mychal-massie.com.)

In the very same article Mr. Massie goes on to say: "Many blacks may not like it, but all too often, when they’re not being their own worst enemies, they are giving their tacit stamp of approval for others to portray them that way."  SOURCE:  http://www.wnd.com/2007/10/43800/#zqvc6ysDx2m6RJvd.99

For evidence of the truthfulness of Mr. Massie's statement above simply look at the leaders the American black community has chosen to represent it and consider how those very same leaders embellish the victim-hood label.

I agree with Mr. Massie who says in the same article:  "It is time to stop feigning insult over nothing, and over that which could be avoided by appropriate behavior, and start promoting positive stories of blacks, regardless of their party affiliation. It is time to stop honoring malevolent anti-social behavior and victimology."  Read more at http://www.wnd.com/2007/10/43800/#zqvc6ysDx2m6RJvd.99
  
The self-appointed leaders of America's black community continue to play the "blame game" and continue to preach hatred and divisiveness when they ought to be preaching a message of repentance and turning away from immorality.   As a result, American blacks have simply traded one enslavement for another.

At some point, blacks are going to have to relinquish their death grip on the battles of the past, accept that most of those battles have actually been won, and join with the rest of us battling today's problems and preparing as best we can to face the unknown problems about to assail us from the future.

Look. Bigots and racists are EVER with us,  have always BEEN with us,  and will always BE with us.  Unfortunately, it is a part of the human condition.  It is a part we can choose to allow influence us -- or -- we can choose to ignore it/them and move forward.   I hope we as a people, both black and white, choose the latter.

America is facing an uncertain future in which she will need all her children, black, white, brown, whatever,  dedicated to her survival.


WE can do this, but we can do it so much better TOGETHER.

© J. D. Longstreet

NYFW Day 5



Hernan Lander 

Hello orange hat and DIY necklace! Two bold accessories that I wore while I was visiting Polyvore's office (another favorite moment from this NYFW trip). I'm so happy that I finally had the chance to meet this great team that are behind our great Polyvore community.
The day continued with Hernan Lander and La Quan Smith presentation, two great collections that have in common one element that seems everybody love to use it in the F/W season: LEATHER and the result was PERFECT!



                                                                                 Coat: Joe Fresh/ option Here
                                                                                 Jeans: H&M/ similar Here 
                                                                                 Sweater: Paris Sport Club
                                                                                 Necklace: DIY, made by me
                                                                                 Hat: David&Young/ similar Here 
                                                                 Booties: Daniblack/ option Here 
                                                                                 Bag: Innue/ option Here 
                                       



                       

Checking In With Bob Woodward of Watergate Fame...

by: Les Carpenter
Rational Nation USA
Liberty
-vs- Tyranny



Bob Woodward, the very same investigative reporter that along with Carl Bernstein was ultimately responsible for bringing down President Richard M. Nixon in the early seventies is reporting the White House is responsible for the looming sequestration. Hm, anybody else hear the scrambling of liberals ardently and strenuously denying Woodward's allegations?

What Woodward is reporting is very plausible, in fact it is more likely than not in the world of dirty political gamesmanship. And for those who believe the democrat party is above dirty politics one only needs to harken back to the days of LBJ and Mayor Daley to realize the democrats are primo at dirty politics in the furtherance of their agenda.
The Washington Post - Misunderstanding, misstatements and all the classic contortions of partisan message management surround the sequester, the term for the $85 billion in ugly and largely irrational federal spending cuts set by law to begin Friday.

What is the non-budget wonk to make of this? Who is responsible? What really happened?

The finger-pointing began during the third presidential debate last fall, on Oct. 22, when President Obama blamed Congress. “The sequester is not something that I’ve proposed,” Obama said. “It is something that Congress has proposed.”

The White House chief of staff at the time, Jack Lew, who had been budget director during the negotiations that set up the sequester in 2011, backed up the president two days later.

“There was an insistence on the part of Republicans in Congress for there to be some automatic trigger,” Lew said while campaigning in Florida. It “was very much rooted in the Republican congressional insistence that there be an automatic measure.”

The president and Lew had this wrong. My extensive reporting for my book “The Price of Politics” shows that the automatic spending cuts were initiated by the White House and were the brainchild of Lew and White House congressional relations chief Rob Nabors — probably the foremost experts on budget issues in the senior ranks of the federal government.

Obama personally approved of the plan for Lew and Nabors to propose the sequester to Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.). They did so at 2:30 p.m. July 27, 2011, according to interviews with two senior White House aides who were directly involved.

Nabors has told others that they checked with the president before going to see Reid. A mandatory sequester was the only action-forcing mechanism they could devise. Nabors has said, “We didn’t actually think it would be that hard to convince them” — Reid and the Republicans — to adopt the sequester. “It really was the only thing we had. There was not a lot of other options left on the table.”

A majority of Republicans did vote for the Budget Control Act that summer, which included the sequester. Key Republican staffers said they didn’t even initially know what a sequester was — because the concept stemmed from the budget wars of the 1980s, when they were not in government. {Read More}

Spin as they may the reality is Obama and his administration in a stroke of almost genius proportions figured out a way to almost pin sequestration on the opposition party. A master plan they hoped Americans would fall far. As I said, DIRTY politics is nothing new to the democrat party. dEmocrats and rEpublicans are essentially cut from the same soiled cloth.

Via: Memeorandum

Proposed "Green Annex" to the US Army Operations Order

Now that West Point has created Energy and Environmental Officers (or "E2Os"), it is time to introduce an Annex to the US Army Operations Order that addresses climate change, sustainable development, and other green issues during the conduct of military operations.  Here is my proposed "Annex W: Sustainable Development" to be completed by the Green Officer on the unit's staff (this is satire):
This is a hypothetical document and not an approved change to FM 5-0. It is being used to demonstrate the potential future of military operations under United Nations’ Agenda 21 and Sustainable Development related policies.


Cross-posted from Against All Enemies

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Disclaimer: These opinions are solely my own, and do not reflect the opinions or official positions of any United States Government agency, organization or department.

West Point's "Green" Officer

Our military is rapidly losing its way.  Somehow it believes that celebrating sodomy in the ranks will be beneficial to good order and discipline and that war is an equal opportunity employer.  How is going against the Law of Nature as established by our Creator a good thing?

Now we have the introduction of "green" officers at the United States Military Academy with the addition of "Brigade Energy and Environmental" officers and non-commissioned officers to cadet staffs:
"Cadets on the Brigade Energy and Environmental staff will introduce a new insignia to the Corps when they don their cadet uniforms this week. These cadet energy and environmental officers and noncommissioned officers, or E2Os, are tasked with leading the charge on initiatives related to recycling, energy and water conservation at the academy. 
The insignia has the chevrons customary to cadet rank. The three rockers below are designed as waves to signify energy and water. It has been decades since the last insignia has been approved for a cadet staff position, and the process took nearly a year before the rank received approval from the Brigade Tactical Department and the Commandant of Cadets." (from West Point Facebook page)
Here is their shoulder sleeve insignia:



This has the potential to become the new political officer who seeks sustainable development, fights climate change, and introduces United Nations' Agenda 21 to our military formations.  Agenda 21 can be described as "a mechanism by which nations can 'legitimately' centralize control of all resources (including people) in their nations in the name of combatting 'man-made climate change'" (source) and is a direct threat to the American form of government and the liberties of its citizenry.  We do not need the military actively supporting or enforcing it.

Frankly, any sort of conservation effort needs to be restricted to an additional duty for an officer and not elevated to an official staff position.  Perhaps our units can now have the S-21 (or G-21) added to their staffs and call him or her the "Agenda 21 Officer."

With the introduction of this "green" officer, our military can start forming the "First Earth Battalion" to fight for the future of our planet as envisioned by Lieutenant Colonel Jim Channon of "The Men Who Stare at Goats" fame:
"The earth battalion declares its primary allegiance to people and planet." (First Earth Battalion manual
"The First Earth Battalion is a banner under which the forces of good in the world can unite and find strength in spirit with others who share a common goal.  Warrior Monks are guardians of the good, guardians of humanity, nature and the planet..." (First Earth Battalion manual)
Perhaps one of the cadets who serve as a cadet energy and environmental officer (E2O) can be the unit's first commander.  They can utilize the proposed Green Annex to the US Army Operations Order to better carry out their mission.

Cross-posted from Against All Enemies

Connect to AAE
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Disclaimer: These opinions are solely my own, and do not reflect the opinions or official positions of any United States Government agency, organization or department.

As the Games Continue, the Truth on Who is Responsible for Sequestration... (?)

by: Les Carpenter
Rational Nation USA
Liberty
-vs- Tyranny



Sequestration. Who's responsible for the idea? I personally do not know, so I will leave the discussion to someone with a tad bit more klnowledge than I posses on this matter.

The New York Times - On July 26, 2011, Jack Lew, then the White House budget director, went to Harry Reid’s office for a budget strategy session. According to Bob Woodward’s book, “The Price of Politics,” Lew told the Senate majority leader that they had come up with a trigger idea to force a budget deal.

“What’s the idea?” Reid asked.

“Sequestration,” Lew responded.

Reid folded himself over with his head between his knees, as if he were going to throw up. Then he came upright and gaped at the ceiling. “A couple of weeks ago,” he exclaimed, “my staff said to me there is one more possible” enforcement method: sequestration. Reid said he had told his staff at the time, “Get the hell out of here. That’s insane. The White House surely will come up with a plan that will save the day. And you come to me with sequestration?”

Sequestration may have seemed insane back then. But politicians in both parties are secretly discovering that they love sequestration now. It allows them to do the dance moves they enjoy the most.

Democrats get to do the P.C. Shimmy. Traditional presidents go through a normal set of motions: They identify a problem. They come up with a proposal to address the problem. They try to convince the country that their proposal is the best approach.

Under the Permanent Campaign Shimmy, the president identifies a problem. Then he declines to come up with a proposal to address the problem. Then he comes up with a vague-but-politically-convenient concept that doesn’t address the problem (let’s raise taxes on the rich). Then he goes around the country blasting the opposition for not having as politically popular a concept. Then he returns to Washington and congratulates himself for being the only serious and substantive person in town.

Sequestration allows the White House to do this all over again. The president hasn’t actually come up with a proposal to avert sequestration, let alone one that is politically plausible.

He does have a vague and politically convenient concept. (Tax increases on the rich!) He does have a chance to lead the country into a budget showdown with furloughed workers and general mayhem, for which people will primarily blame Republicans... {Read More}

Via: Memeorandum

Senator Ted Cruz, a new McCarthy or Just Undiplomatic?...

by: Les Carpenter
Rational Nation USA
Liberty
-VS- Tyranny


Senator Ted Cruz

There has been just a bit of an uproar by the liberal media and blogs over Senator Ted Cruz and his methodology with respect to questions over former Senator Chuck Hagel's income and the sources from whence they came. He has been characterized by many on the left as the "new McCarthy"." After listening to the following several times I find no reason to characterize Senator Cruz as a "new McCarthy".



I do think there was a better and more diplomatic way to have enunciated his very legitimate concerns. Giving the benefit of the doubt to Senator Cruz at this point seems prudent as he is is a freshman senator and likely will learn better diplomacy as he settles into his senatorial duties. The following from Lanny Davis, former Clinton White House Counsel confirms my sentiments.



Maybe it's just me, however, with our overly heated national partisanship both sides are much too quick to cast judgment and immediately start to spin every situation so as to gain the upper hand in the hopes of galvanizing their own power. This my fine readers is a sure way to our mutual demise. Something I, as a patriotic American frankly find unacceptable.

So, what's the alternative? Given the intelligence of those who do me the honor of visiting this humble site I have no doubt but what you know the answer...

Via: Memeorandum

snow day

We survived the storm and are on our second snow day. Funny how that term's (snow day) meaning changes so drastically when you are the parent, rather than the child.

We've already gone outside to play in the snow three times and have enjoyed several cups of hot chocolate.


The natives are already getting restless though so we are venturing out today. Wish us luck and have a great weekend!

NYFW my outfit for DVF Fashion Show & Custo Barcelona


 DVF Show
 Custo Barcelona Show

 This outfit was the one that I wore at DVF and Custo Barcelona Show: zebra print skinny jeans, Mango sweatshirt and shoes, a mix of prints covered up by a sunny colour coat.
I had so many great moments at NYFW but DVF Show was definitely my favorite moment... Seeing the collection live and also seeing the designer walking on the runway spreading hugs and smiles with the loved ones was something special and once again I would like to thank Polyvore for this great opportunity!

P.S.Tart Collections Giveaway winner is: Amber Brittain-Hale. Congrats!!
 I will contact you soon!




                                                                             Coat: vintage/ great option Here 
                                                                             Sweatshirt: Mango/ on sale Here
                                                                             Shoes: Mango/ Here
                                                                             Jeans: Guess by Marciano/ option Here 
                                                                             Clutch: 3.1 Phillip Lim/ option Here 
                                                                             Sunglasses: c/o zeroUV/ Here