Don't make this at home

because you were all screaming for it. Here's the recipe for Noodles Jefferson, just one of the many delightful dishes being served to the detainees at Guantanamo Bay:

Noodles Jefferson - Yield: 100 Servings
Ingredients
7 1/2 ga water; hot
1 1/4 lb butter print sure
2 1/4 lb cheese grated 1lb
9 lb noodle eggs 5lb
3 tb salad oil; 1 gal
1 tb pepper black 1 lb cn
1 tb salt table 5lb
3 tb salt table 5lb

Instructions
1. ADD SALT AND OIL TO WATER; HEAT TO A ROLLING BOIL.
2. SLOWLY ADD NOODLES, STIRRING CONSTANTLY, UNTIL WATER BOILS AGAIN.
COOK ABOUT 15 MINUTES OR UNTIL TENDER. DRAIN THOROUGHLY.
3. ADD BUTTER OR MARGARINE, SALT, AND PEPPER TO NOODLES. STIR WELL.
4. ADD CHEESE, TOSS WELL. SERVE IMMEDIATELY.

Who, me?

The men's white shirt never goes out of style. Fabulous. And leave the lovely Angelina alone already. She can do better than Brad.

Breakfast at Tiffany's

He's all right, I suppose, if you like dark, handsome, rich-looking men with passionate natures and too many teeth.

Not my fav movie, but a fun one none the less. And George Peppard sounds exactly like Robert Redford. Trust me.

Can we burn this?

Please? The bathing suit, of course, not the bimbo.

Age Apropriate Marketing

Love the FG brunette in winter white from well-defined shoulders to pedicured toes. And on a woman who can wear Versace - it's not for the twenty-somethings.



Demi Moore Strikes a Pose for Versace [Hello!]

Igloos, anyone?

Much as the FG wanted to pass this unforgivably-titled article by, she felt obliged to post it (mostly because it doesn't mention a certain former Baywatch babe). Style.com features fun & stylish people, places and shops of the neighbour to the north. Don't miss the ice wine or the Bata shoe museum:



And for true Canadian rock, don't miss The Tragically Hip.

I can't say it enough

but just to make it clear that I'm not alone, I'm reiterating a Gawker post on clothing that fits. Not so much an issue 'round here as summer is apparently having cold feet, but I understand that those of you on the far side of the fly-overs have been suffering from temperatures about 80 for weeks now. Please ladies, as the temperatures rise, remember that clothing that fits is the first step toward fabulousness. No one looks (or feels) good in jeans that squeeze your 'hips' out over the top, or in a tank top and bra combination so tight that there are handles where your shoulderblades should be. If you can't wear close fitting pieces without hanging out of them, change your lifestyle or change your wardrobe.

Be tough on yourself - because this is (city you live in) and, let's face it, everyone else will be.

Besides, there are a zillion long skirts & flowy maternity-esque tunics this season that will be far more flattering to your figure and happen to be in style a ce moment. And then the air conditioning will have a chance to get between you and your lycra.

Scratch your flag burning itch

Alternate proposals for those of you who were planning a big flag burning party to conclude your Independence Day celebration. We dare you to define the star spangled banner. Thanks, good senator, wherever you are.

Doctor's orders

I know, it's late, but better late ... Dr. Dean, last night on The Daily Show:

"If I had to encapsulate the philosophy of the Democratic party, it really is love thy neighbor as thyself and you don't get to choose your neighbors. This is one community, this country and I'm tired of having it divided. "

hmmm, think he's been reading George Lakoff? Of course he has, and you should be too. www.georgelakoff.com

Woman as vase

Thanks to A Socialite's Life for bringing David Beckham and the vase substituting for Posh to our attention. The FG happens to be a huge fan of blue & white in china patterns, wallpaper or bedding:




but a dress?



A dearly beloved friend of the FG points out that, were the dress worn by Elle Macpherson or a similarly statuesque FG, the sensation that the dress is wearing the woman would be somewhat mitigated.

Now you see me

now you don't when I'm hiding behind my fabulous oversized sunglasses. Bless Ruth La Ferla for coining the phrase "just-out-of-rehab look" as in:

(referring to saucer-sized sunglasses) the fashion insignia of tastemakers like Mary-Kate Olsen and style bait for postadolescents eager to emulate Ms. Olsen's affectless, just-out-of rehab look.

Because heroin chic is so last century. And am I the only one disturbed by the ease in which Ms. Le Ferla goes from discussing Lindsay Lohan and les jumeaux d'Olsen to Sophia Loren, Anouk Aimée and Jacqueline Onassis?

When you trade brain cells for cash

it's bound to impact your sense of style.



Take these clogs and wedges - please. Saks Fifth Avenue has put a warning in full caps at the end of the product details section that reads as follows:

DUE TO HIGH DEMAND, A CUSTOMER MAY ORDER NO MORE THAN THREE UNITS OF THESE ITEMS EVERY THIRTY DAYS.

These are in high demand? Where, in Lapland? Puhleeze.

Theme shoes

For those of you who miss your dress-up days.

Although the FG enjoys the frivolity of a mink sandal, it may be a tad warm for this time of year. Unless you're portraying a 21st century Pocahontas? And clearly the turquoise trend continues - this shoe fortunately doesn't allow the trashy to coordinate their toenail polish with their jewels. Or if they do, at least we don't have to see it. The last pair, the FG just loves. We know we're predisposed towards navy, but the details are delicious.

Solstice

so naturally we're having rain & thunderstorms. Hope it's nicer in your neck o'da woods. And that you can see the amazing full moon lo these past nights.

The FG revealed

I know you've been curious, so I'm officially unveiling:

You too can create a South Park-esque mini-you. Take the opportunity, on this lovely Friday, to do your office, your family, your entourage, etc.

Oh no you didn't

So Cafe press is a great website, providing a much needed service. But like all things, when it falls into the wrong hands ... you get "I heart Gitmo" t-shirts. (courtsey of DailyKos.) I'm not going to post the images, as the FG doesn't like to get her hands that dirty - I know that will come as a shock.

Mad Hatter

The FG hearts HRH the Countess of Wessex 99% of the time, and generally considers her a fellow FG, but this hat can only be described as a satellite dish to her brain.



What was she thinking? Perhaps spending too much time with Camilla?

Sunrise, Sunset

Before Sunrise: Julie Delpy is luminous as Celine. Cheekbones aside, Ethan Hawke does a credible Jesse, a young, insecure American. Watching their emotional connection translate itself into the physical is endearing, particularly as they desperately plan a next meeting before the train pulls them apart. Fav quote:

Jesse: So I'm just a dumb American momentarily decorating your blank canvas.

Before Sunset: Delpy still luminous. although she seems a bit fragile. EH looks the worse for wear - he's far more charming in his puppy dog days of the first movie, now he just looks like a wolf, especially when he bares his teeth. In the first film, there's a moment early on when Jesse reaches to tuck Celine's hair beind her ear and then stops himself, and it is echoed by Celine in the second film. Lovely. Two quotes:

Jesse: I feel like I'm running a small nursery with someone I used to date.

Celine: You know, maybe we're - we're only good at brief encounters, walking around in European cities in warm climate.

Woman as Tent: Part Two

You may recall this unfortunate trend noted in the Boudoir back in May - well, it must be hitting the red states now, because the NYT Style section has picked up on it. While the article starts with sensible quotes from women ("You're comfortable," she said. "It's not as restricting as other skirts.") the pièce de résistance comes from a local member of the Taliban:

"I like them in long skirts," said their brother, Will, 22. "If it were my girlfriend, I'd like her in long skirts, too, if she's alone. If she's with me, she can wear as short a skirt as she wants."

Repeat after me - it's not about you unless we say it is.

Yo neighbour ...

Canadians believe U.S. President George W. Bush is almost as great a threat to their national security as Osama bin Laden, according to a government opinion poll obtained by the National Post. The 1,500 people contacted for the poll, listed "International Organized Crime" as the top danger (...) tied for second in the poll were "U.S. Foreign Policy" and "Terrorism," with 37 per cent rating it a great risk.

I'm sure they're not the only ones ...

Stationery for the FG

Because a good stationery wardrobe is just as important as your clothes, once you've got your formal stationery, add a few of Fashion Flair Cards' kicky notecards for fun. And they sell more than just notecards. Invitations, recipe cards, gift enclosures and address labels are all available. Mix and match graphics and fonts to personalize it, princess.

Not sure what to say in yet another thank you note? Emily Post (circa 1922) to the rescue:

Dear Mrs. Worldly:
All my life I have wanted a piece of jade, but in my wanting I have never imagined one quite so beautiful as the one you have sent me. It was wonderfully sweet of you and I thank you more than I can tell you for the pleasure you have given me.

Affectionately,
Mary Smith.

Blue-bin anyone?

I knew there was a great catch-phrase for getting back with an ex - or several - for a comfortable date of reminiscing, catching up, and fringe benefits. Not recommended, you understand - there's a reason you're no longer togther, yes? Think hard ...

Censorship 101

As reported at Huffington and MSN Money,

Microsoft's new Chinese internet portal has banned the words "democracy" and "freedom" from parts of its website in an apparent effort to avoid offending Beijing's political censors. Attempts to input words in Chinese such as "democracy" prompted an error message from the site: "This item contains forbidden speech. Please delete the forbidden speech from this item." Other phrases banned included the Chinese for "demonstration", "democratic movement" and "Taiwan independence".

Microsoft claims to be 'when in Rome'-ing, but Chinese law doesn't prevent the use of these words. Are they just overachievers?

Anthony Romero hosts Talking Points Memo Cafe

Click here to read all about it. More on Romero here.

In the Mood for Love

The music, the cinematography, Maggie Cheung in an endless parade of cheongsam and high heels. See this movie. The repressed emotions make the average WASP look like an Italian. And Tony Leung is excellent.

Are you doing it right?

The FG absolutely respects your right to be asexual. But why is this article in the NYT Fashion & Style section? It's not exactly in the same category as round vs. pointy toe shoes ...

Have your skirt & eat it too?

The FG is a fan of chocolate, innovative fashion and efficiency. Still, this seems a little much. Ladies, please take out your FG Fashion Guide and turn to the section on Skirt Length. Below If you can't sit down in it, it's too short, please add Meltaway skirts also not recommended in public.

First, they came for the Artists

From Daily Kos, these posters are now appearing on the MARC metro line between Baltimore and DC:



Remind you of anything?

Icons we mourn: Ann Bancroft

Fav quote from Anne Bancroft's obit., on meeting Mel Brooks in 1956:

In a 1984 interview she said she told her psychiatrist the next day: “Let's speed this process up — I've met the right man. See, I'd never had so much pleasure being with another human being. I wanted him to enjoy me too. It was that simple.”

The way you know about a good melon. They were married 49 years.

When Fab Girls make Bad Choices

Don't you wish the world would let us know when we're this wrong? Of course, the t-shirts aren't required ...

I think she's under contract at least until Batman Begins comes out on the 15th ... but who in their right mind would choose Cruise over Christian Bale?



Christian's wondering the same thing himself ...

Inspiration

can sometimes be found in the card store. While you're enjoying the beautiful frock, the FG recommends that you also check out the handbag of glory. Yes, you'll have to click on the links, as mr. monkton has sensibly protected his art.

Another look at history

Stanley Weintraub's new take on the American Revolution from a non-American perspective (imagine that!) gets part of a review in this week's NYT Book Review. Fav quote:

Observed from across the Atlantic, the story of the Revolution looks very different from the one every American child grows up with. To see that story through British eyes, as Stanley Weintraub's ''Iron Tears: America's Battle for Freedom, Britain's Quagmire: 1775-1783'' enables us to do, is to see an all-too-familiar tale reinvigorated. Weintraub reminds us that justice did not necessarily reside with the rebels, that the past can always be viewed from multiple perspectives. And he confronts us with the fact that an American triumph was anything but inevitable. History of course belongs to the victors. If Britain's generals had been more enterprising, if the French had failed to supply vital military and financial assistance, George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Alexander Hamilton and the rest would be known to us not as political and philosophical giants but as reckless (and hanged) losers, supporting players in a single act of Britain's imperial drama. We would all be Canadians now, with lower prescription drug costs and an inordinate fondness for winter sports.

But Weintraub's book does more than add a fresh dimension to a tired subject. By giving the war a genuinely international flavor, it points the way to a new understanding of American history. Instead of looking out at the rest of the world from an American perspective, it rises above national boundaries to place the past in a global context. This is a significant undertaking. At a time when the role of the United States in the world has never been more dominant, or more vulnerable, it is crucially important for us to see how the United States fits into the jigsaw of international relations. Weintraub indicates how American history may come to be written in the future.

Quickie

Is it just me, or do the recent revisions to The Huffington Post make it look more like Drudge Report?

In Memoriam

Thanks to The Blog of Death for reminding us of the costs of war:

As of today (5/30), 1,836 coalition troops have died in the war in Iraq. That statistic breaks down into 1,656 Americans, 89 Britons, 10 Bulgarians, one Dane, two Dutch, two Estonians, one Hungarian, 21 Italians, one Kazakh, one Latvian, 17 Poles, one Salvadoran, three Slovaks, 11 Spaniards, two Thai and 18 Ukrainians.

And this morning I awoke to news that the government of Iraq reported 12,000 Iraqi civilian deaths in the past 18 months. Not that we're counting them ...

Moments in bad hair

At a major league sporting event in a large US city last night, the FG was horrified to witness the use of not one but TWO banana clips within three rows of her very good seats. Immediate flashbacks to the 1980's ensued, as well as giggle-filled memories of the SATC scrunchy episode. Apparently said clips are now used to attach hair extensions, but those observed last night were used traditionally, to gather natural hair together in a vertical wave down the back of the head. And so a polling opportunity presents itself: is the banana clip better or worse than the scrunchy?

Blondes are overrated

So I'm a little behind in my Alias watching, but the revelation that Sophia is Elena Derevko, completing the sisterhood of Lena Olin, Isabella Rosellini with Sonia Braga is quite a coup. I don't think I'd want any of these women mad at me, never mind all three.