Hong Kong Disneyland

Link to Hong Kong Disney: Your ticket to Disney Hong Kong

Hong Kong Disneyland

Hong Kong Disneyland bid farewell to the first group of its 500 Cultural Representatives at Hong Kong International Airport today as they embarked on a training program at Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida.

The Cultural Representatives represent the largest group of Cast Members (Disney's term for employees) in Disney's history to be sent to another Disney theme park to train in their roles before opening a brand new park. The program is an opportunity for Hong Kong Disneyland's first generation of cast members to be immersed in the magical Disney culture while sharing their own Chinese customs and traditions with Walt Disney World guests.

The program will play an important part in Hong Kong Disneyland's cast member training process, and supports the company's philosophy that its people are its most important asset.

As Walt Disney himself once said: "You can dream, create, design and build the most wonderful place in the world but it requires people to make the dream a reality."

"Hong Kong Disneyland is proud to be providing this invaluable training opportunity for the people of Hong Kong. The Cultural Representative program demonstrates our commitment to being an employer of choice that offers tremendous opportunities for career development," said Greg Wann, Hong Kong Disneyland Vice President, Human Resources.



The program will present the Cultural Representatives with a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to be trained according to the standards set by the Walt Disney Company worldwide.

"It highlights our magical Disney culture - 'the Disney Difference' - that stresses the importance of guest service training, and which has become the cornerstone of our Disney parks," said Wann.

Upon returning to Hong Kong in the summer, the Cultural Representatives will be offered the opportunity to become permanent Hong Kong Disneyland cast members, and will create history as the first generation to spread magic throughout Hong Kong, China and beyond.

The 500 Cultural Representatives were carefully selected out of 5,000 applications with the ability to convey the Disney passion a key requirement.

Strong communication skills, an excellent guest service attitude together with a strong Disney passion were also important criteria in making the selection.

While in Orlando, the Cultural Representatives will have the opportunity to work in various facets of Walt Disney World's hospitality and entertainment businesses, including merchandise, food & beverage, Park operations, custodial and hotels.

The program's completely immersive approach will allow the Cultural Representatives to fully experience the legendary Disney guest service and Disney quality standards.

"The magical Disney culture inspired me to join Hong Kong Disneyland and I am looking forward to bringing the Disney guest service culture to Hong Kong after I complete the Cultural Representative program in the summer. This is definitely a unique training opportunity for me!" said Jolland Chung Hin-lun, one of the Cultural Representatives who will play a role in the operations of Walt Disney World.

"I am excited and proud to be among the first 500 Cultural Representatives to experience the Disney culture in Orlando and I look forward to meeting guests from all over the world and being part of the Disney family," said Jaime Chan Lai-yin, who will bring magic to guests in the merchandize section at Walt Disney World.

What I do is kick them in the pants with a diamond buckled shoe!
~~Aileen Mehle~~

Syria 'gave up' brother of Saddam

BBC NEWS

Syria handed over a highly wanted half-brother of Saddam Hussein who is suspected of funding and planning the post-war insurgency, Iraqi sources say.

Iraq's government announced the capture of the former Saddam Hussein aide Sabawi Ibrahim al-Hasan al-Tikriti.

Iraq did not comment on Syria's role but the Iraqi sources said Damascus had acted under international pressure.

Damascus has been accused of having links to attacks in Lebanon and Israel as well as harbouring Iraqi rebels.

"The Syrian authorities, because of the tremendous pressure on them, did something about Ibrahim," a source described as a "senior government official" told Reuters news agency on condition of anonymity in Baghdad.

"Having so many problems on their plate at the moment, the Syrians were willing partners in this, but the Americans and we were also involved."

BBC correspondent Jim Muir notes the Iraqi government is neither confirming nor denying the reports for now.

If Syria has indeed handed him over, he adds, it could represent a major climbdown by Damascus which has consistently claimed that such people are not operating from its soil.

'Climbdown'

Thair al-Naqib, a spokesman for the Iraqi government, said Mr Tikriti had been arrested "on the Syrian-Iraqi borders".

Speaking to Arabic TV channel al-Arabiya, he added that details of the capture would be released to the media "soon".


Damascus appears to have tightened its border controls in recent weeks after accusations that militants were using them to cross into Iraq.

Syria has been accused by Israel of involvement in a suicide bomb attack in Tel Aviv on Friday - the first since the Israeli-Palestinian truce reached on 8 February.

It denied any link but closed down the Damascus office of Palestinian militant group Islamic Jihad after it claimed responsibility.

The US and France have led calls for Syria to pull its 15,000 troops out of Lebanon following the assassination of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri.

Washington recalled its ambassador from Damascus and Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said that while she did not blame the attack on Syria, its presence in Lebanon was destabilising.

Extradition call

Mr Tikriti, a maternal half-brother of Saddam Hussein, was number 36 on the list of wanted former Baathist officials issued by the Americans after the 2003 invasion.


Interim Prime Minister Iyad Allawi's office said he had "killed and tortured Iraqi people" and accused him of "planning, supervising and carrying out many terrorist acts in Iraq".

Mr Tikriti was head of the Saddam regime's intelligence services during the 1991 Gulf War, and then chief of general security until 1996 before becoming a presidential adviser.

Just last month Iraqi government officials named him as one of a group of former regime figures they said were directing and financing insurgency operations in Iraq from bases inside Syria.

They had asked the Syrians to extradite him and others.

His brothers Watban and Barzan are already being held at a US facility outside Baghdad and are expected to be tried in the next few months at a special tribunal.

What I do is kick them in the pants with a diamond buckled shoe!
~~Aileen Mehle~~

Bin Laden asks Zarqawi to target US

From : People's Daily
Al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden has asked Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, who has led insurgency in Iraq, to include the United States as his terrorist attack target, US officials said Monday.

There has been communication between bin Laden and Zarqawi within the past two months, during which bin Laden suggested to Zarqawi to involve himself in attacks in the United States, a counterterrorism official told local media on condition of anonymity.

Zarqawi, a Jordanian militant, has been leading insurgency in Iraq but has not attacked targets outside the Middle East.

Meanwhile, the Homeland Security Department issued a classified bulletin warning state officials over the weekend that new intelligence indicated that al Qaeda was still planning to attack the United States.

Department spokesman Brian Roehrkasse said the intelligence about the continued al Qaeda desire was "credible but not specific." He said there is no plan to raise the national alert level.



What I do is kick them in the pants with a diamond buckled shoe!
~~Aileen Mehle~~

The Awards of the Academy

Manolo says, last night the most super fantastic stars of the Hollywood appeared in public for the handing out of the Oscars.

In the general the Manolo he was pleased to see that the stars they dressed in a glamourous fashion befitting their station (Unlike, say, at the Awards of the Spirit of the Independents, whose participants they were dressed so barista bohemian casual that the Manolo found himself wanting to ask many of them to fetch him the low fat/skim mocha double cappuccino, and make it quick, the Manolo he is the busy man.)

Overall, however, last night there were alomst none of the grotesqueries of the fashion that have in the past caused the Manolo to do the spit take.

Still there were the few of the stars whose "get-ups" require the closer scruitny.

The Melanie Griffith
Pity the Melanie, La Pobrecita

Manolo says, yes, the dress it was awful, but the Manolo he does not want to make fun of the poor Melanie, as not only is she wearing the cast on the leg, but it is plain to the Manolo that the Melanie she is peddling as fast as she can to hang onto that super fantastic man of hers.


The Renee Zellweger
The Little Goth Mermaid

Manolo says, Behold! The Little Goth Mermaid.


The Robin Williams


Manolo says, the sad desperate cry for the attention.


The ???
Your fifteen minutes, they are up

Manolo asks, who is the dull woman and why does she appear to believe that she is the shizznit?


The Depp
Genius!

Manolo says, the Manolo he has the rule, if you are the Johnny Depp, or the Marlon Brando, or the Russell Crowe, or the Daniel Day Lewis, you are the genius and are entitled to wear whatever you want, however ridiculous, without the petty carping of the Manolo.

Of the course, this mention of the actors of the genius, it brings up the conspicuous failure of the Academy to recognize the genius of the David Hasselhoff.

At the least the Hasselhoff he should have been nominated in the catagory of the award for the best supporting actor, for his masterful return to the big screen in The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie. This injustice, it has left the Manolo angry and confused, and convinced him that the justice it may never be served.

Look, even the Squidward and the Katie Couric were upset by this snubbing of the Hasselhoff!




The Prince



Manolo says, I am the Prince. You must bow in the presence of my funkaliciousness.

Shoes of the Oscars!

Shoes of the Choo

Manolo says, even the are catching the Oscar fever.

Manolo's Super Fantastic Newsletter

Manolo says, the Manolo he would like to remind you to sign up for the Manolo's Super Fantastic Newsletter. The second issue it will be sent out early in the next week, don't miss out on this.

Click here to subscribe!

Tyrannosaurus Elton

gnnnnnnaaaaarrrrgnnnnnnaaaaarrrr

Manolo says, and now the Elton John he must feed.

Kraft cans 'Road Kill' candy

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Kraft Foods Inc. said Friday it would bow to demands by the New Jersey Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (NJSPCA) that it stop selling candies shaped like animals that have been run over by cars.

The group publicly demanded removal of Road Kill candy, sold under Kraft's Trolli Gummi brand, earlier this week.

"This is not sending the right message to kids," NJSPCA spokesman Matthew Stanton said.

Kraft (Research) said it wanted to be sensitive to consumer concerns about the candies, which are shaped like flattened snakes, chickens and squirrels with track marks on their bodies. They were introduced last summer.

"We understand how this product could be misinterpreted, and we respect that point of view," Trolli Brand Manager Jim Low said in a statement.




Whenever I used to see road kill it used to be cats and dogs..pets who got loose or who wandered into the street. Now with the rise of new home developments taking over the green space that belongs to indiginious animals, the road kills I see seem to be more wild animals. Deer, beautiful foxes (Can I get a coat piece out of the tail?) or possums. There tend to be raccoons and more wild birds...you know those large turkey buzzards that are so big you think they are prehistoric birds for the Land that Time Forgot.

Now, they are always wild animals on rural roads and frankly I am suprised at all the large birds. They obviously are the victims of 18 wheelers. They normally are feeding on the racoons, deer and foxes on the side of the road and when those 18 wheelers come by, they get sucked into the vaccum draft and splat....they are gone.

The thing that gets me the most are people who want your road kill. It is common place where I am to see a wrecked car on the road that has just hit a deer. Soon, up comes a pickup truck with the occupants not concerned about you, but concerned about the deer. The will ask if you are taking the dead deer with you. No? Then the next question from them is can they have it? And off they go, they collect the dead deer, put it in the back of the pickup truck and off they go....free dinner on you for the next few weeks. It is very common place where I am. Recent deer killings due to car accidents is fresh meat and dinner to some. I could not do it but I have seen it happen. I stopped for someone who had just hit a deer a few months ago to be sure they were okay. As we waited for the police, a man in an SUV pulled up and asked for the dead deer. The driver I was with did not want it. The SUV driver loaded it up and off he went.

Apparently there is an art to eating recent road kill. You have to know when it is fresh and when it is not. Arthur Boyt says he has been eating road kill for years as his main form of meat.

Retired civil servant, Arthur Boyt is an animal lover and enthusiastic conservationist, but one look in his freezer would make you think otherwise.

Arthur's freezer is a positive menagerie of native wildlife including pheasant, deer and fox and he is fast running out of space.

"The freezer is filling up," admits Arthur. "I can pass things by without regret."

With a degree in biology, Arthur can confidently identify fresh meat from a diseased carcass. He cooks the meat at a high temperature for a long time, ensuring it is safe to eat.

"For years I've lived off roadkill and my own vegetables," he explains.

But roadkill is not to everyone's taste.

"And a nice Chianti"

In the UK in particular, there is a stigma attached to the eating of alternative meat.


If you read the whole article, he even says he has eaten dog and it tastes like lamb. Now I like lamb but I do not think I can get the vision of lamb and dog tasting the same out of my mind now. I might not be able to eat lamb any more.

Would you eat road kill? Have you every eaten fresh roadkill? The article says that instead of running to the grocery to buy meat, we need to start crusing the highways for fresh meat. Just about everything is edible you know.


What I do is kick them in the pants with a diamond buckled shoe!

~~Aileen Mehle~~

Howard Stern Receives Wired Award

From: ABC NEWS

Howard Stern, the acerbic self-described "King of All Media," has received Wired Magazine's Wired Renegade award for his tense battle with the FCC and upcoming switch to Sirius Satellite Radio.

Other recipients of the sixth annual Rave Awards, presented Tuesday, include Brad Bird, who won in the Film Director category for "The Incredibles," the computer-animated story of a family of superheroes.

"I'm very excited to be included in this group of people," said Bird, who dismissed the notion that the popularity of computer-generated blockbuster films might nudge real-life actors out of the business.

He called such concerns those of "backward-thinking actors."

"I think some actors are taking it that way, but I don't think it's a legitimate concern," Bird said.

Kevin Sites, a freelance journalist, took home the first Blogger award, for helping pioneer a new breed of reporting from the war in Iraq. Sites also chronicled the tsunami rescue effort in southeast Asia.

"This year's Rave Award winners are inventive, rebellious, courageous, and they're changing the world," said Chris Anderson, editor-in-chief of Wired Magazine. "They're the mavericks, visionaries and dreamers who inspire us as they transform our culture."

<>Other winners included Danger Mouse for "The Grey Album," in the musician category; Rem Koolhaas in the architect category; and Burt Rutan in the industrial designer category.


What I do is kick them in the pants with a diamond buckled shoe!
~~Aileen Mehle~~

The Wit and the Wisdom of the Manolo

The Wisdom of the Manolo

Manolo says, the Manolo he would like to remind you that the wisdom of the Manolo it is available on the t-shirts and the mugs and the postcards.

The Stuart Weitzman

The Super Fantastic Regina King with the Super Fantastic Stuart Weitzman

Manolo says, here you see the picture of the Stuart Weitzman together with the Regina King at the big "bash" in the Hollywood. Those super fantastic shoes they are holding, which will be worn by the Regina at the celebration of the Oscars, they are made with the diamond earrings once owned by the Marilyn Monroe.

The Manolo he is the big fan of the shoes of the Stuart Weitzman, not only are they typically stylish, but they have a commercial vigor that the Manolo he appreciates, it is the couture widely available at the reasonable prices

Here are three pairs of the shoes from the Stuart Weitzman of which the Manolo he is quite fond.

Stuart Weitzman - Parable (Red Quasar Patent)  Manolo Likes!  Click!


Manolo says, it is the opinion of the Manolo that one of the things that the Stuart Weitzman he does the best, it is the strappy sandals. He has this very elegant, minimalist approach to the strapping. It does not overwhelm the foot with complications and adornments.

For the comparison, here is another little number of the strappiness.
Stuart Weitzman - Quadro (Black Peau)  Manolo Likes!  Click!

Again, simple, elegant, very much worth the wearing.

It is the same aesthetic of simplicity that the Stuart Weitzman he carries even into the boots.


Stuart Weitzman - Trophy (Black Calf)   Manolo Likes!  Click!


These basic boots, they are among the Manolo's favorites.

Viva the Stuart Weitzman! Long may he reign in the realm of the mid-range, commercial couture!

See You In The Funny Pages

Manolo in the funny pages!

Manolo ask you, is this not indeed most super fantastic?

P.S. Many thanks to the Chris Muir for putting the Manolo in the funnies.

At the Copa!

Barry Finds Passion at the Copa

Manolo says, music and passion were always the fashion.

The Super Fantastic Reader

Manolo says, occasionally the Manolo he get the letters like the following.
Ah, Manolo, how I love your blog with it's unerring advice for the stylish and it's gentle and unmistakeable disdain for the truly unworthy. You bring a smile to the most difficult day. I even read your advice for the Super Fantastic girl because your tone is enthusiastic and your words are often wise, but alas, I will never be Super Fantastic myself. As a school teacher in a poor district, cursed with thin hair and thick ankles, I may do much good in the world but I will never adorn it. Would you be so kind as to consider these two requests? Firstly, can you recommend a practical shoe - or shoe style - for those of use with the strong sturdy legs so good for hiking or breaking up a fight between two teenaged boys but not so good for showing off the stylish shoes? Secondly, if you think of it, could you find a phrase for people who are drawn to the Super Fantastic, who read the newletter and surf the Manolo on ebay, but only in the spirit of fantasy?
Manolo says, this person she is the lovely, honest human, however she does not fully understand the process of attaining the super fantasticness. She believes that because she is poor, and not possessed of the elegant ankle, that she will somehow be denied super fantasticness.

Nothing could it be further from the truth!

Manolo asks, are you not reading the blogs of the Manolo?

Then certainly you are either already super fantastic, or soon to be super fantastic.

This it is one of the secrets of the world of the Manolo: all you must do is read. Then, as the lessons of the Manolo they percolate down through the brain, you gradually become more super fantastic.

If you are the regular reader of the Manolo's blogs you gradually begin to make the correct fashion choices, and over the time your wardrobe and your person they become more super fantastic. It is involuntary, and almost inevitable.

Of the course, the process it is greatly speeded up if you take the active role. For the example, the Manolo would recommend to his dispirited friend that she cease to focus on her trivial flaws and consider her many and manifest virtues.

If one has the unfortunate "log leg" without the ankle, then one must do what the Hillary Clinton does and wear the elegant pantsuits. If one is poor, one must be doubly sure to buy the durable high quality goods when they are on the sale, and then maintain them in good condition. The rules are simple, easily learned, and easily followed.

Manolo says, like so many things, the super fantasticness it is mostly the matter of the attitude.

Rebels confess to beheadings on Iraqi TV

From the Guardian

Captured Iraqi insurgents who claim to have beheaded dozens of hostages were shown on television yesterday saying that they practised on chickens and sheep before moving on to people.

The state-run Iraqiya television station aired lengthy interviews with at least six men who said they were involved in gangs which kidnapped and killed dozens of people in the northern city of Mosul.

Speaking with little sign of remorse, the men said they were told they would be made princes after 10 beheadings.

The broadcasts, which began earlier this week, appeared to be a government-backed initiative to cast the insurgents in the worst possible light and to accuse Syria, which the men claimed had trained and paid them, of masterminding the atrocities.

There was no way to verify the confessions or the identities of the men who were described as captured insurgents, in which case they were probably being held by the interior ministry. It was not clear whether they had been charged with any offence.

Yesterday's 80-minute programme was punctuated by images of Ken Bigley, the British hostage murdered in October. But the interviewees did not mention Mr Bigley and said their victims were Iraqis deemed to have collaborated with the occupation.

One man explained that they practised their technique on chickens and sheep so as to appear professional in executions that were videotaped and put on the internet.

Each man spoke in turn to an unseen interviewer, who was addressed as master, while the others were silent and seated in the background, the only adornment an Iraqi flag.

They showed little emotion but tended to avoid eye contact and stare at their hands or the floor when detailing the beheadings.

The questioner was often aggressive, challenging the men as to why they did not feel compassion for their victims or their relatives.

One man, who said he was merely a driver for a kidnap gang and had not killed any one, was ridiculed when the others said he had shot dead up to 15 people. What he meant was that he had not beheaded anyone. "So if I shoot you now you are not dead?" asked the interviewer.

The broadcast echoed the televised confessions and humiliations of Saddam Hussein's opponents before his regime was toppled .

Iraqiya TV went on air in 2003 with funding from the Pentagon.

Viewers have responded with a mix of horror at the grisly details, fascination that the men look so normal, and suspicion that the public is being manipulated with broadcasts that air at least twice a day.

The main target of the propaganda was Syria, which Baghdad has repeatedly accused of sponsoring insurgents. Damascus denies the allegations.

One of the men in yesterday's broadcast was named as Lieutenant Anas Ahmed al-Essa of the Syrian intelligence service. His group was recruited to cause chaos and stop the US attacking Syria, he said.

The interviewees said they were taken to Latakia in Syria in 2001 in anticipation of an American invasion of Iraq and trained by a Syrian officer named Anis in beheadings, bombings, shootings and film-making. Asked why they used knives rather than guns to execute, one man replied: "The Syrians told us to do it."


What I do is kick them in the pants with a diamond buckled shoe!
~~Aileen Mehle~~

Iraqi TV airs tape of Syrian involved in insurgency

From USA Today

BAGHDAD (AP) — The bearded man in a gray jacket and shirt who appeared on the U.S.-funded Iraqi state television station Wednesday had a stark message about the insurgency — he was a Syrian intelligence officer who helped train people to behead others and build car bombs to attack American and Iraqi troops.

"My name is Anas Ahmed al-Essa. I live in Halab. I am from Syria," he said by way of introduction — naming what he said was his home in Syria.

"What's your job?" he was asked by someone off-camera. "I am a lieutenant in intelligence."

Then a second question. "Which intelligence?" The reply: "Syrian intelligence."

And so began a detailed 15-minute confession broadcast by al-Iraqiya TV, in which the man, identified as 30-year-old Lt. Anas Ahmed al-Essa, said his group was recruited to "cause chaos in Iraq ... to bar America from reaching Syria."

"We received all the instructions from Syrian intelligence," said the man, who appeared in the propaganda video along with 10 Iraqis who said they had also been recruited by Syrian intelligence officers.

Later, al-Iraqiya aired another round of interviews with men it said were Sudanese and Egyptians who also trained in Syria to carry out attacks in Iraq.

Syrian officials could not immediately be reached for comment on the claims, which were not possible to authenticate independently. Iraqi officials also were unavailable for comment after the broadcasts, which aired late in the evening.

The videos were broadcast as the Bush administration steps up pressure on Syria to stop meddling in Iraqi affairs by allowing insurgents to cross into the country to fight coalition troops and by harboring former Iraqi regime members. Syria has denied the charges.

President Bush also repeated Wednesday his demand that Syria remove its 15,000 troops from neighboring Lebanon. International pressure on Syria to withdraw has increased since the Feb. 14 assassination of Lebanon's former prime minister, Rafik Hariri.

Top officials in Iraq's U.S.-backed interim government have called on Syria to hand over former members of Saddam Hussein's Baath Party who fled there after the 2003 U.S.-led invasion, which Syria vehemently opposed.

Al-Iraqiya TV can be seen nationwide and is believed to be widely watched by Iraqis — mainly those who cannot afford satellite dishes offering the Persian Gulf-based Al-Jazeera and Al-Arabiya stations. But the station, which went on the air in May 2003 with help from the Pentagon, is viewed by many Iraqis as an American propaganda tool.

Wednesday was the first time the channel showed someone it claimed was a Syrian intelligence officer.

All those interviewed in the first video apparently were detained in the northern city of Mosul. It was not known where the interviews were made, and no date was provided.

A man identified as one of al-Essa's aides, Shehab al-Sabaawi, said the group used animals for training in beheadings. Al-Essa said it required "at least 10 beheadings" for a member to be promoted to a group leader.

"I had to send a report to Syria about how the operations are going," he said.

Weapons, explosives and equipment were all provided by Syrian intelligence, the man claimed, adding that group members received $1,500 a month.

Al-Essa said money was his motive for accepting an offer by a Syrian intelligence colonel he identified as Fady Abdullah to carry out attacks inside Iraq.

"I was trained on explosives, killing, spying, kidnapping ... and after one year I went to Iraq with Fady Abdullah," al-Essa said.

He claimed he infiltrated Iraq in 2001, about two years before the U.S. invasion, because Syrian intelligence was convinced that American military action loomed.

An unidentified Iraqi officer introduced the video, saying all insurgent groups in Iraq were covers for Syrian intelligence. He named a number of well-known groups, including one which has killed and beheaded foreigners.

Al-Essa claimed to be leader of the al-Fateh Army, a group that had not been heard of previously.

Al-Sabaawi described himself as a former lieutenant colonel in Saddam's army. He said he was recruited at an Iraqi mosque in 2001 by an Iraqi man named Abu Bakr, whom he described as the al-Fateh Army's leader.

"He offered to take us on a training trip to Islamabad," the Pakistani capital, al-Sabaawi said. "He told us that we could develop our skills, give us information about how to make car bombs and carry out kidnappings."

Before returning to Iraq, al-Sabaawi said he spent 11 months in Pakistan. He did not say who trained him there.

After Saddam's fall in 2003, al-Sabaawi said he spent a month in Syria, where he claimed to have received training from Syrian intelligence on how to behead hostages.

"Syrian intelligence officers were supervising our training. We were ready to fight the Americans because any Iraqi and any Muslim can't live under occupation," he said.

Afterward, he crossed the border and carried out attacks against U.S. military targets.

He said the group started by making car bombs targeting American troops and Iraqi National Guardsmen before beginning a campaign of kidnapping and beheading Iraqis.

The Sudanese and Egyptian nationals in the video broadcast later in the day did not belong to al-Fateh, the station said.



What I do is kick them in the pants with a diamond buckled shoe!
~~Aileen Mehle~~

Cosmopolitan

Manolo says, the Manolo's friend the Madame Butterfly, she now has the blog where she talks about the jewlery.

These Boot Were Made for The Walking!

Catwalk Queen!

Manolo shouts, work it, sister!

P.S. Many thanks to the Manolo's internet friend the Ed for pointing to this picture.

Miu Miu Sandals


Miu Miu Womens Shoes Spring - Summer 2005   Manolo Likes!  Click!



Manolo says, perhaps because the sun it is shining today, the Manolo he feels like showing you the new sandals from the Miu Miu.

Ayyyyyyy! Run Away!

Ayyyyyyyyy!

Manolo shouts, AYYYYYYYYY!

Like the ravening three-headed Hound of Hell, Cerberus, the Evil One stares into our souls seeking his next victim!

P.S. Many thanks to the Manolo's internet friend the Katrina for pointing to this fawning article in the Times of the New York.

More of the Project Runway

Manolo says, here is the article from the Boston Globe about the ending of the Project Runway.
There was fashion, too, of course. Last night, as well as during the entire season, we got to see exactly how complicated the business and the art of clothes designing truly is. The show was both a confirmation of our worst prejudices about models and design divas, and a revelation of just how much imagination and skill must go into building and showing the most original fashion lines.
Manolo says, this it is exactly right.

So few peoples do they properly understand the difficulty of the designing the the beautiful things. This, of the course, explains why the Manolo he believes the she is the genius, and why the Manolo he is quick to ridicule the celebrities who believe they are the equal to the task of producing original and worth-the-wearing items.

Here is more about the Jay, and about the Manolo's new hero, the Tim Gunn
And originality was Jay's trump card, as the judges recognized that fact that his style emanates out of his zany personality, and not from what has already made it into the glossy magazines. His models, many of them wearing headphones, were unique as they walked the runway wearing his passionate, distinctive line. When he was anointed the winner, the talky Jay was overwhelmed and, finally, rendered speechless. As with most reality shows, it's future seasons are bound to be less exciting.

The finale also featured a few of the "Project Runway" camp trademarks. Fashion director Tim Gunn was on hand to visit the finalists' homes and mention how "terrific" they are. The image of Gunn, so poised and tasteful, standing next to Jay's father's concrete-septic-tank company in small-town Pennsylvania was priceless.
Manolo says, the Manolo he loves the Tim Gunn. Not only is he the handsome, talented, and tasteful, but he is without the doubt the nicest man in the world. He is, as the southern friends of the Manolo would say, as sweet as the sugar pie.

Project Runway: Hooray for the Jay

Manolo says, the Manolo he has few comments about the grande finale of the this evening.

The Wendy. Eehh. Yes, she was nasty, and yes, she was partially redeemed this week. But ultimately, who really cares? She is, as the Micheal Kors says, the very talented tailor. And that is the extent of her abilities as the designer.

The Kara Saun. By the end of the next to last of the episodes, the Kara Saun she had begun to annoy the Manolo. This trend it reached the apogee tonight, and the Manolo he began to actively dislike the Kara Saun. But worse than her irritating qualities, however, was that the stated inspiration for her clothes--the movie the Aviator--it was trite, and more than a little silly. Of the course, this justification it was no accident. The Kara Saun she is the Hollywood costume designer, and so she has designed a collection of costumey clothes for the movie that has already been made.

The Jay Hooray for the Jay! Two weeks ago, the he praised the work of the Jay as "thoughtful and original", and this judgement it was reaffirmed again this evening. Again, the clothes they were not all to the taste of the Manolo (although he did enjoy two or three of the pieces, especially the final dress), but the entire collection it was the work of a singular, intelligent, if untrained vision. Who knows if this it will translate into the long term success.

The Shoes As the Manolo he could have told you, and as the Kara Saun she knows, the shoes they are so very important. As the Micheal Kors said, the accessories they can make or break the show (and the look). Of the course, if you are the regular reader of the Manolo this it is not the big news. It is to the credit of the Kara Saun that she knew this. It is not to the credit of the Kara Saun that she tried to cheat.

Finally, and unusually for the reality television, the nicest and the most talented person came out the winner. How often does this happen?

The Meaning of Clothes

Manolo says, the Manolo and his internet friends they are having the intellectual discussion about the meaning of the clothes over at the Manolo's . This it is not everyone's cup of the tea, but perhaps some of the peoples they may enjoy this sort of thing.

The Rumor Box



Well, since it is the beginning of the year, we have had alot of new goals and measurements given to us for the new year. In addition we have had satellite corporate meetings and all sorts of new employee programs to boost moral. Moral seems to be down in the office right now.

The absolutely, most crazy thing that has been implemented is the rumor box. RUMOR BOX? Yes, a rumor box. In an attempt to stop rumors that run rappant all over, the higher ups have decided to put out a rumor box. If we hear a rumor that we want validated or not validated, we are to write it on a piece of paper, put it in the box and then management will collect them weekly and dispell the rumors. I think this is the most lame thing I have ever heard of...a rumor box. The only thing I think it will do is have peopel talk more to see if it should be placed in the rumor box. We will see if this is a benefit.

Well, I have officially fallen off the wagon. Remember my new years reso-shoe-tions? Only ten pairs this year. I have finally bought my first pair of new shoes this year. I bought them this past weekend. I was in love as soon as I saw them. They are a pair of Liz Claiborne Snake skin Slings. They are a deep mauve and brown and are to die for. This what they look like except for the color.



I have not done too badly. It is February...almost March and I have just bought my first pair of shoes for the year. I have had many temptations since January. I go shoe shopping every weekend. I just tried on and tried on and did not buy. I would attempt to get to the cash register and make myself put the box down and walk away from the shoes. I do plan to get a pair of golashes. I just love those multi colored ones. I do believe that will most likely be my next purchase. I will put that off just in case, there are a pair of dress shoes I MUST have.




Yesterday was a banner day at work. Jolly shoes had a melt down at my desk. All of a sudden he comes marching over and declares he has sent an email to the big boss requesting a meeting to decide if his placement is proper. He had had it and wanted to transfer back to where he came from. I of course had to jump in prevent that. After meetings with several people in a side room, today he seems okay. Not happy but working. Finishing shoes had been less bothersom recently. Classic court has been overhappy...she says she is on anti depressants. Happy is better with her. It keeps her speaking american english and not the Queen's english when she gets upset. Classic court is all up in arms about the marriage of Charles and that heifer Camilla.
Work can be such drudgery! I got this toward the end of the day! It was a bright spot. Enjoy!

Hallmark REJECTS!

My tire was thumping, I thought it was a flat.
When I looked at the tire, I noticed your cat.
Sorry!
Heard your wife left you
How upset you must be.
But don't fret about it.....
She moved in with me.

Looking back over the years
that we have been together
I can't help but wonder...
What the HELL was I thinking?
I've always wanted to have

someone to hold,

someone to love.

After having met you ..

I've changed my mind.


I must admit, you brought Religion into my life.

I never believed in Hell until I met you.





What I do is kick them in the pants with a diamond buckled shoe!
~~Aileen Mehle~~

The Scarlett Loves the Hasselhoff

Manolo says, like the and the Manolo, the loves the David Hasselhoff.
Scarlett Johansson says she was thrilled to work with David Hasselhoff, because she used to have a crush on him.

She says when she was a teenager she lusted after Hasselhoff's fictional lifeguard Mitch Buchanan in the TV show Baywatch.

She said: "I so fancied him when I was young, that to see my name on the credits next to his makes me go all girly. He was a hunk back in those days."
Manolo says, "back in those days"? The he is indeed still the hunk.

P.S. Many thanks to the Manolo's internet friend the Leslie for this important news.

The Carpet of Red



Manolo says, the Oscars, they are approaching! And working hard to get ready at the La Quinta Spa in the Palm Springs is the Joan Rivers.

Terror suspects held in Kenya

Nairobi - Kenyan authorities have arrested three men with alleged links to Osama bin Laden's al-Qaeda on suspicion of plotting terrorist attacks in the east African nation, a senior police official said on Monday.

The trio - a Sudanese national and two Kenyans - were detained on Saturday in northeast Kenya near the border with lawless Somalia and transferred to Nairobi for questioning by anti-terrorism police, the official said.

"We are holding one Sudanese and two Kenyans on suspicion of involvement in terrorism activities," the official said, suggesting that Kenya may have been tipped to the threesome's alleged activity by foreign intelligence.

"We got a hint from sources I cannot disclose now of their involvement in terrorism activities and links to bin Laden," the official said on condition of anonymity. "The investigation is continuing."

Police took them into custody as they were travelling along a normally unpatrolled road in Kenya's north-eastern Tana River district, the official said.

"The route ... is not manned by police and it appears that's why they were using it," the official said.

Kenyan authorities believe that the route has been used by terrorists in the past, notably to transport bombs and other weapons from Somalia to Kenya for the deadly attacks on Israeli interests in the port town of Mombasa.

Eighteen people, including 12 Kenyans and three Israelis, were killed on November 28, 2002 in a suicide car bombing at the Israeli-owned Mombasa Paradise hotel.

The bombers were also killed in the attack which is believed to have been carried out by al-Qaeda affiliates.

On the same day, there was a failed attempt to shoot down an Israeli passenger jet with a shoulder-fired missile as it took off from Mombasa's international airport.

Al-Qaeda has also been fingered in the twin 1998 bombings of the US embassies in Kenya and Tanzania, which killed 224 people, as well as in a more recent plot to attack the new US embassy in Nairobi.

Three suspects now on trial for involvement in the Mombasa attacks are also accused in the embassy bombings.



What I do is kick them in the pants with a diamond buckled shoe!
~~Aileen Mehle~~

Virginia man charged in plot to assassinate Bush

ALEXANDRIA, Va. - A former Virginia high school valedictorian who had been detained in Saudi Arabia as a suspected terrorist was charged Tuesday with conspiring to assassinate President Bush and with supporting the al-queda terrorist network.
Ahmed Omar Abu Ali, 23, a U.S. citizen, made an initial appearance Tuesday in U.S. District Court but did not enter a plea. He contended he was tortured while detained in Saudi Arabia since June 2003 and offered through his lawyer to show the judge his scars.

The federal indictment said that in 2002 and 2003 Abu Ali and an unidentified co-conspirator discussed plans for Abu Ali to assassinate Bush. They discussed two scenarios, the indictment said, one in which Abu Ali ``would get close enough to the president to shoot him on the street'' and, alternatively, ``an operation in which Abu Ali would detonate a car bomb.''
The White House had no comment on the indictment.
Abu Ali was born in Houston and moved to Falls Church, Va., a Washington suburb. He was valedictorian of the Islamic Saudi Academy in Alexandria, Va.
Federal prosecutors say Abu Ali joined an al-Qaida cell in Saudi Arabia in 2001. The alleged Bush plot occurred while he was studying in that country.
His family contends that U.S. officials were behind his detention by Saudi authorities and wanted him held in that country so he could be tortured for information. A lawsuit brought on their behalf in U.S. District Court in Washington seeks to compel the government to disclose what it knows about Abu Ali and his detention.
Abu Ali's appearance in federal court here was a surprise because the government never publicly disclosed that he had left Saudi Arabia.
According to the indictment, Abu Ali obtained a religious blessing from another unidentified co-conspirator to assassinate the president. One of the unidentified co-conspirators in the plot is among 19 people the Saudi government said in 2003 was seeking to launch terror attacks in that country, according to the indictment.
More than 100 supporters of Abu Ali crowded the courtroom Tuesday and laughed when the charge was read aloud alleging that he conspired to assassinate Bush.
When Abu Ali asked to speak, U.S. Magistrate Liam O'Grady suggested he consult with his attorney, Ashraf Nubani.
"He was tortured,'' Nubani told the court. "He has the evidence on his back. He was whipped. He was handcuffed for days at a time.''
When Nubani offered to show the judge his back, O'Grady said that Abu Ali might be able to enter that as evidence on Thursday at a detention hearing.
"I can assure you you will not suffer any torture or humiliation while in the (U.S.) marshals' custody,'' O'Grady said.
Abu Ali is charged with six counts and would face a maximum of 80 years in prison if convicted. The charges include conspiracy to provide material support to al-Qaida, providing material support to al-Qaida, conspiracy to provide support to terrorists, providing material support to terrorists and contributing service to al-Qaida.


What I do is kick them in the pants with a diamond buckled shoe!
~~Aileen Mehle~~

What The Manolo Is...

Manolo says, it is the Tuesday, time for What the Manolo is...

Watching...

Reading...

Watching...

Reading...

Watching...

Listening to...


Manolo says, the Netflix it has brought much joy to the Manolo over the past few weeks.

Finally, the Manolo he will tell you that you must buy this book about the Anna Wintour. It is fascinating and at the same of the times well-researched and the most entertaining. It is the "must have" for any of the persons interested in the world of the fashion.

Celebrities Pose Nude in Jimmy Choo Shoes

***Update: 02/16/06***

Celebrities Pose Nude in Jimmy Choo Shoes


I will post a few tasteful pictures here of the celebrities. (if my scanner is cooperating..it does not at times..like now! More pics to come)

***Update: 02/16/06***



Christina Aguilera naked in Jummy Choo Shoes




Nicky Hilton nude in Jimmy Choo Shoes


Ellie McPherson nude in Jimmy Choo shoes

***Update: 09/20/05***
More pictures to come


Serena Williams nude in Jimmy Choo shoes


Paris Hilton nude in Jimmy Choo shoes
(poor dog! I think tinkerbell is traumatized!)





Heidi Klum naked in Jimmy Choo Shoes


Iman naked in Jimmy Choo Shoes


Pam Anderson naked in Jimmy Choo Shoes



Anne Heche naked in Jimmy Choo shoes



Jenna Janeson naked in Jimmy Choo shoes



Kimora Lee Simmons naked in Jimmy Choo shoes



Tatiana Patiz naked in Jimmy Choo shoes



Victoria Beckham naked in Jimmy Choo Shoes



****UPDATE: 05/25/05****
Order it here!

Celebrities Pose Nude in Jimmy Choo Shoes


This book is supposed to be released today. You can order or preorder at this Amazon link. As soon as I get my copy I will post some pictures here! So book mark this page to come back!





Kate Moss, Rachel Hunter & Sarah Ferguson, Duchess of York have all posed in nothing but Jimmy Choo shoes and Cartier jewelry.

Although it may have been a lot of fun, it's not just a fun night out. The girls all stripped down to the luxurious accessories for a good cause.

The models were photographed for a book called "Four Inches" - titled after the height of the stiletto Jimmy Choos that the models are wearing in the images.

London fashion photographer Pamela Hanson shot the photos, and the book will raise funds for Elton John's Aids Foundation.

Singer Macy Gray and actresses Lara Flynn Boyle and Rebecca Romijn Stamos also will appear in the book, scheduled to be released in 2005.




What I do is kick them in the pants with a diamond buckled shoe!
~~Aileen Mehle~~

Club Paris!

Club Paris? Is that in the imperative?

Manolo says, Club Paris? Like the baby seal.

Prada in Milan

Manolo says, over at the the Manolo he has begun to post some of the pictures (along with the Manolo's commentary) from the Miuccia's fall fashion show in the Milan today.

Of the course, more it will follow over the next several days, as this show it is digested and evaluated by the Manolo.

The Gotham City

Manolo says, one of the places the Manolo he loves to look for the super fantastic boots is at the website of the Gotham City Online.

Yes, on the one of the hands, at the Gotham City Online the sizes of the boots and the shoes available, they are frequently limited. However, on the other of the hands, the prices they are unbelievably low.

For the example, these super fantastic boots from the Coach, they have been reduced by the Gotham City over $130 of the American dollars, however, the are available only in the Americans sizes 8.5, 9, or 10.
Coach Boots    Manolo Likes!  Click!

Likewise these classic boots from the Frye, they are reduced 50%, but are only available in the sizes 6 and 6.5.
Frye Boots    Manolo Likes!  Click!

Manolo says, there are many other bargains to be had at the Gotham City Online, from the JP Tods, and the Marc Jacobs, and the Michael Kors, and the others, however one must always be prepared to be disappointed by the capriciousness of the sizes available.

Jane Janus

Janus Jane

Manolo says, two Armani-clad heads, they are better than one.

Of the course, you will need two heads to see all the beautiful things, for it is the Fashion Week in the Milan!