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Archive for February, 2012

Posted in Uncategorized on 29/02/2012| Leave a Comment »

Hello Dear Friends…this blog by Andreas Moser about Feb 29th is a great read and will surely make you smile. I’m off to milk a cow or give chocolate to everyone I meet today! Slan.

Andreas Moser's avatarThe Happy Hermit

Tomorrow, you will receive a precious gift: an extra day.

Because 2012 is a leap year, you will have 24 hours more in your year. Even those of you who pretend that they don’t have enough time, have no more excuse not to do what they want to do.

Make use of this rare opportunity! Don’t go to work! (You can blame it on not knowing about this oddity or on operating on last year’s calendar.)

Instead, use this unexpected extra day to do what you have always wanted to do:

  • Learn how to dive.
  • Climb a volcano.
  • Send a letter to a relative or friend that you haven’t contacted in years.
  • Learn the cricket rules.
  • Make a barbecue.
  • Turn off your phone and read a book.
  • Milk a cow.
  • Use a bus or a train that you have never used and see where it goes. Walk back.
  • Draw…

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An Irish Leap Year Tradition

Posted in Recipes, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , on 29/02/2012| 4 Comments »

Hey all you Irish single ladies…if the man of your dreams hasn’t “put a ring on it” yet, then you’re in luck. According to Irish tradition, February 29th (which only falls every four years in what’s known as a “Leap Year”), is the one day when it’s perfectly acceptable for you to propose to the man of your liking.  It seems we have good ol’ Saint Brigid, the female patron saint of Ireland, to thank for this welcomed tradition.

According to legend, Saint Brigid was giving out (complaining) to Saint Patrick way back in the fifth century about how unfair it was for women to have to wait for men to ask for their hand in marriage. Saint Patrick, being the kind man that he was, took pity on the ladies of the day and deemed it acceptable for the women of Ireland to propose in a leap year.

Back to modern-day, actress Amy Adams brought this little known tradition to light in the film Leap Year in 2010 (which incidentally wasn’t a “leap year”). In the film, Anna Brady (played by Adams) travels to Dublin, Ireland to propose to her boyfriend Jeremy on February 29 because, according to Irish tradition, a man who receives a marriage proposal on a leap day must accept it. As it turns out, Anna falls in love with someone else (an Irish man of course) and the two end up living happily ever after on the Dingle Peninsula in Co. Kerry. Such is the stuff of romantic comedies!

If you’ve been waiting for your “happily ever after”, wait no more because today is the day. Take matters into your own hands and pop the question. And, assuming the answer is a resounding “yes”, pop a bottle of bubbly and toast your future happiness with an Irish Black Velvet.

Black Velvets

4 ozs chilled Champagne

4 ozs chilled Guinness Stout

Directions

1. Pour the Guinness Stout into a fluted glass and top it with the Champagne. Serve immediately.

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Love is in the Air on Valentine’s Day

Posted in Uncategorized, tagged , , , , , , on 14/02/2012| Leave a Comment »

Love is in the air today and I hope you get a chance to breathe it in deeply. If you’re still looking for some simple, yet lovely, ways to make the day special for someone you love, check-out these great ideas!

Origami Hearts from KSL Studio 5 – these easy to make origami hearts with lollipop centers are perfect for tucking into a napkin at dinner-time or for a children’s Valentine Day school party.

Valentine’s Day Coupon from The Twinery Blog – the secret to a really good coupon is 1) it has to be cute and 2) it has to be specific. I love these designs made by Sugarsticks Parties and found on thetwineryblog.com because they can be used for kids, spouses, partners or friends. All you need is a colour printer and card stock – couldn’t be easier!

Chocolate is on nearly everyone’s mind today. If your sweetie loves chocolate, try these simple to make but oh so delicious chocolate covered strawberries from The Food Network’s website. This yummy looking photo on the left was taken by beautifulcataya on Flickr.

For more ideas check-out One Charming Party – this website is the genius of Utah woman Brittany Egbert, mother of four gorgeous children and a party-planning diva. On onecharming party.com, Egbert offers up some great tips from her “lovely sponsors” which are sure to delight one and all. The heart votives were particularly sweet and, if you don’t have all the equipment required to make the votives, perhaps you could use stickers instead.

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Boo Hoo Jason Wu @ Target

Posted in Uncategorized, tagged , , , , , on 07/02/2012| Leave a Comment »

Yesterday was a big day for fashionistas as Jason Wu’s collection hit the shelves and racks of Target stores around the country.  Unfortunately for many, myself included, both a trip to Target and attempts to get online to make purchases were in vain.

ABC News’ Christina Ng and Lauren Effron reported on ABC’s website this morning that “Mere hours after Target released designer Jason Wu’s collection in-store and online Sunday, the fashion line was sold out.” In my case, our local Target (one of only two in the state carrying the collection) sold out of nearly everything in less than 30 minutes.

Across the country shoppers waited in line for hours before stores opened with the hope of getting a dress, scarf or handbag. I met and spoke with a few shoppers who were deeply frustrated by 9am. “How can everything be gone already”, one woman asked angrily. Another felt the store didn’t have enough stock. “There was more available at the Missoni launch”, exclaimed a woman named Maggie who had come to shop with her husband, daughter and granddaughter in tow. Employees, when asked, confirmed Maggie’s suspicion. Despite the fact that there were several pretty Jason Wu posters about the place, they had only received three racks of clothes – hardly enough to satisfy the desires of the whipped-up Wu crowd.

As I stood before the near-empty racks, having also combed the fitting area for cast-offs, I wondered how many purchases were destined for Ebay. As it turns out – quite a few. At last check there were 10,671 results for “Jason Wu for Target” on Ebay. And, if you didn’t hear, there was a couple from Miami who practically bought out the entire Wu collection at their midtown store with plans to sell everything on Ebay at a higher price (click here to see the YouTube video).  Dubbed “The Vultures Who Ruined Jason Wu for Target“, the pair were vindicated in their actions when a call to Target corporate headquarters confirmed stores were not allowed to stop people from what basically amounted to “shopping for Ebay”.

Those who didn’t drive to their nearest Target may have gone online to shop and been equally disappointed. I went online at midnight (New York time) and could not get past the Jason Wu masthead. I went to bed and tried again at 9am (again, New York time) and discovered that the blue dress I wanted for my daughter was only “available in-store”. Ughh! Even now, a full 24 hours later, it’s still impossible to figure out what’s going on…the “available in-store” and the “on-line price” (with “free shipping when you spend $50) followed by the “find in store” is confusing to say the least. It shouldn’t be this difficult.

Hello Target…are you listening? Please, make it simple. Is it available online or in-store? And, could you please let us know in advance next time?

Oh, silly me. Next time Target collaborates with another hot designer, they will surely tease/frustrate us all by 1) not supplying enough information, 2) allowing their website to be flawed, and 3) not filling their shops with a “suitable” amount of product to make a large percentage of the shopping public happy. While we cry “Boo hoo, Jason Wu at Target”…Target is sublimely happy. In-store, online or via Ebay…whatever the way, Target wins in both financial terms and public relations.

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The Invisible War Wins Sundance Audience Award!

Posted in Uncategorized, tagged , , , , , , on 05/02/2012| 2 Comments »

This just in…I received an email from Nancy Schwartzman, Outreach Campaign Director, for the film The Invisible War. Last week the movie won The Sundance Film Festival’s Audience Award in the Documentary Competition! What follows is the great news in Nancy’s own words:
Dear Friends,
We are thrilled to announce that “The Invisible War” has won the Audience Award in the Documentary Competition at this year’s Sundance Film Festival! It has been an exhilarating week! We’re blown away by the positive responses to the film, and your commitment to taking action with us, to make a difference in the lives of thousands of military sexual assault survivors.
We couldn’t have done it without the incredible support of our Executive Producers, Geralyn Dreyfous, Maria Cuomo Cole, Regina Kulik Scully, Jennifer Siebel Newsom, Abigail Disney, and Nicole Boxer-Keegan. We give special thanks to Mary J. Blige, who joined us for the premiere and will be writing an original song for the film.
Buzz for the film began building even before our Sundance launch, when on Wednesday January 18, “The Invisible War” was featured on NBC’s nightly news with Brian Williams.  Featured in this piece was Secretary of Defense, Leon Panetta’s press conference announcing (in anticipation of our film’s release) that the military would make every attempt to improve it’s responsiveness on issues of sexual assault.  We plan to hold Panetta accountable to his vows, via our advocacy campaing to alleviate the suffering of hundreds of  thousands of assault survivors who do receive neither justice or adequate care.
On Friday, January 20th, the day of the premiere, anticipation was high. Survivors flew in from all over the country to join us in Park City, Utah. We were honored to have service members Kori Cioca and several others join us with their partners and families for premiere weekend to see the film and answer audience questions.
Immediately after the screening ended, the impact was clear. There was a standing ovation and outpouring of emotion. One audience member was so moved, he offered to anonymously pay for the surgery that Kori Cioca so desperately needs, as a result of her rape and lack of responsiveness from the VA. Supporters in the audience included Senator Barbara Boxer, Brigadier General Loree Sutton, Representative Jackie Speier and Representative Michael Turner. Following the premiere, we convened at an after party that included an intimate conversation with Mary J. Blige and Jennifer Siebel Newsom about the importance of challenging the epidemic of sexual violence in our military.
On Sunday 1/22, survivors, advocates, and filmmakers came together for a community speak out. Survivors dialogued with members of the local anti-violence advocate community, members of the Utah VA, and we hosted a virtual conversation about MST on twitter using the hashtag #Notinvisible. Tweets and photographs are compiled here on Storify.
In the week following the premiere, the buzz was unstoppable and positive reviews and support poured in. From The Daily Beast to Reuters, to The Associated Press to The L.A. Times, the message about “The Invisible War” and the epidemic of military sexual assault it uncovers were felt far and wide across America thanks to the attention of the mainstream media.
Our outreach team also took to the internet to help spread the word, joining the Women’s Media Center for a virtual discussion about Military Sexual Assault with over 16,000 participants.
The actions we wanted to ignite are starting to occur!  In just over a week, we have over 2,000 signatures directed at the House and Senate Armed Services Committees, and the Veterans Affairs Committees to take direct and immediate action to take the reporting of rapes outside of the chain of the command, and make getting disability benefits for military sexual assault survivors much easier.
Will you join us in sending a clear message to Capitol Hill?
Sign up to host a screening in your community: invisiblewar@filmsprout.org if people see this movie, this issue will no longer remain invisible.
Thanks for your support,
Nancy Schwartzman
Outreach Campaign Director

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Jason Wu @ Target

Posted in Uncategorized, tagged , , , , , , , , on 05/02/2012| Leave a Comment »

Tomorrow is Sunday and it’s no ordinary Sunday…it’s Super Bowl Sunday and Jason Wu for Target Sunday! Yep, that’s right. Unless you’re living in a cave, under a rock, or someplace other than America, you know that tomorrow is a big day for football fans AND fashionistas.

I’m not much of a football fan any more. Living in Ireland for 20+ years can knock a hardcore sports gal from her perch on the 50 (yard line that is). Nope, these days I’m interested in the Super Bowl purely for the advertisements and the half-time show (FYI Madonna is the main act). As for Target…I’m absolutely a fan and Jason Wu has been on my radar ever since Michelle Obama stepped on the Inaugural Ball stage in his dreamy white gown back in 2009 (click here for images).

Missoni for Target was only a passing interest for me but Jason Wu is different. I’ve got my eye on a few dresses for one of my daughters. She’ll look only too cute in this one:

or this one:

Target and Wu have been criticized for not unveiling the full collection to the public but you can see it at The Huffington Post website (click here). Wu says the theme for the dresses, scarves and handbags, ranging in price from $19.99-$59.99, is “French New Wave film star” but it has all the appearance of nonchalant chic.

There will be lots of competition for this new designer collaboration…don’t drop the ball. Start tonight by checking out what’s available online so you can be ready to charge ahead of the competition tomorrow morning for your favourite items.  Also find out which of your local Target stores will be carrying the collection as it will only be available in certain shops around the country. And finally, if you can’t get to a Target, go online and shop till you drop. Can I get a Wu-hu?!

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