By Debbie Schlussel

It’s Paris Fashion Week, where all the top high class designers show their stuff on the runways of France’s fashion center.  And on the “Marketplace” front page of today’s Wall Street Journal, there’s a story about LVMH, the haute couture investment company that owns Louis Vitton, Moet, and Hennessy brands, among other names synonymous with expensive taste.   LVMH also owns the French fashion design house, Celine, and the story is about LVMH’s turnaround of the financially troubled brand.

Pregnant Designer Phoebe Philo Left Investors Holding the Bag

But that story isn’t important.  What’s important–and what struck me–is the brief reference to the new fashion designer, Phoebe Philo, whom LVMH hired to turn the Celine brand around.  Philo is the symbol of why and how feminism doesn’t work.  She’s the spokesmodel for “no, women, you cannot have it all, but if you insist on it, someone will pay the price.”  In this case, those paying the price are investors in Chloe, the French fashion label for which Ms. Philo previously designed.

For five years, the British Phoebe Philo designed clothing for Chloe, another expensive brand whose price tags say only the very rich need try the clothes on.  As head designer at Chloe, she created a popular purse, the Paddington bag and developed a huge following, more than doubling its sales.  But all of this took place only via huge investment from Chloe’s financiers, who’ve since lost out.  You see, Ms. Philo decided to quit suddenly, taking two years off to focus on raising her family.  And this week, Fashion Week, the company is on its third head designer since Philo quit.  It’s not working out.

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By Debbie Schlussel

Apparently, these people do not know… how to handle things in the United (States). They thought they were somewhere in Fallujah or in the… Iraq mountains and so on.

–Hekmat Putruss, Detroit-area dress store owner about his fellow Iraqi immigrants who attacked him and his family.

You can take some people out of the Middle East.  But you can’t take the Middle East out of them. And you don’t need me to tell you. Because a Middle-Eastern man who was the victim says so himself, below.

I forced myself to watch the insipid local news, last night, because I knew this simultaneously hilarious and sad video was going to air.  Yes, even at a bridal shop in suburban Detroit, Middle Eastern violence goes on . . . and on . . . and on.  And it makes the typical Bridezilla and her family look like the church choir. I feel sorry for the owner of this store. But even he knows his fellow countrymen–those of them who haven’t left their country behind and refuse to be absorbed in American values and civility–well.

More about what we’ll see more of as we continue to let Middle Eastern immigrants invade our shores in droves and bring their Third World violence with them:

The eye in the sky at First Lady Bridal in Lathrup Village catches it all on tape — a real life “Bridezilla,” but she’s not on the rampage alone. Family members are allegedly called in to attack.

“Apparently, these people do not know… how to handle things in the United (States),” said Hekmat Putruss. “They thought they were somewhere in Fallujah or in the… Iraq mountains and so on.”

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By Debbie Schlussel

For almost a year, I’ve been warning you about the right’s new false TV messiah, drama queen Glenn Beck.  And I warned you for several years about how FOX News toes the Islamic line, per its second largest investor and Rupert Murdoch crony, Saudi billionaire Prince Al-Waleed Bin Talal, which is why I call it PAWNN–the Prince Al-Waleed News Network.

Glenn Beckmessiah Calls Geert Wilders a “Fascist”

I warned you about Beck’s gushing slobber over the Saudi’s/Syria’s/Hezbollah’s/the PLO’s favorite Congressman, Darrell Issa a/k/a Jihad Darrell.  And, then, I warned you about it a second time, when he called Issa “principled.” And I told you how this ignoramus, Beck–who like a monkey, parrots whatever his producers tell him–repeatedly features what he claims are “moderate” Muslims on his show, when those “moderates” are, in fact, extremist Muslims.

I warned you about how Beck openly endorses global warming junk science and green movement socialism, how he gushes over smug lefty George Clooney, and how he matches his employees’ contribution to left-wing charities.  And don’t forget his crazy statement that Scott Brown’s career will end with a dead intern.

So, I’m not sure why, yesterday, so many readers were shocked–shocked!–when Beck called Dutch politician Geert Wilders, the most well-known and effective fighter against the Islamic takeover of Europe, a “fascist.”  I got a ton of e-mails about it.  Some readers said, “you warned us about Beck,” but others were surprised and finally awoke from their slumber.  Better late than never.  Moreover, Beck endorsed the UK ban on Wilders entering the country.  Wilders, today.  Beck, tomorrow.  There are many who would incorrectly group the moron Beck with the much wiser Wilders and ban them both if they could.  So much for Beck’s claim to be a libertarian and support free speech.

For the record, I like Wilders, think he’s very courageous, and support his efforts.  However, I haven’t written much about him because I am troubled by some problems that he could easily address if he wanted to:

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By Debbie Schlussel

File this under:  Not for Mo’Nique.

It’s a tough economy.  We all know that.  And given that, it’s an odd time for a company to launch a premium–and higher-priced–version of something that’s become not much more than a commodity:  a razor.

Premium Razor Wars: Gillette Fusion ProGlide v. Schick Hydro

But in June, Procter & Gamble will launch Gillette Fusion ProGlide, a men’s razor product that’s relatively pricey compared to the average razor for men.  And, in April, Schick will launch its Schick Hydro, also more expensive than the rest of its shaving line.  Here are the details of the Fusion ProGlide:

A four-pack of the new manual cartridges—the first significant upgrade to Gillette’s Fusion line since its 2006 launch—will sell for about $16.99, and blades for the battery-powered razor for $17.99, a 15% premium to regular Fusion blades, which already run about twice the average price in the category.

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By Debbie Schlussel

No comment necessary. (Thanks, RRR.)

By Debbie Schlussel

You may know Aston Martin as James Bond’s suave sports car of choice.  But, unless you’re a longtime reader,  you might not know that it is half owned by Kuwaiti Muslims.  I wrote about the acquisition, three years ago, when Ford Motor Company sold its controlling interest in the company to Kuwait’s Investment Dar Co., an Islamic investment house that follows sharia (and another Islam-complaint Kuwaiti investment outfit, Adeem Investment).

Pimp Bond’s Ride: Aston Martin’s Kuwaiti Muslim Deadbeat Owners, Adnan Al-Musallem & Mustafa Al-Saleh

But, now, Investment Dar and its Chairman, Adnan Al-Musallem,  are under water, and can’t pay creditors.  It’s the same scenario I recently told you about with Dubai and its government-run Dubai World.  Like Dubai World, Investment Dar tried to “restructure,” with a plan that repays investors only mere pennies on the dollar.

But the creditors balked.  So, now, Investment Dar–which also owns the Grosvenor Hotel Apartments in London–is employing protection under Kuwait’s “financial stability law,” a form of Islamic protection which is far more detrimental to creditors than any kind of bankruptcy law.

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By Debbie Schlussel

You or I get told we must throw out our carry-on toothpaste tube if it exceeds three ounces.  But, just a little more than two months after Islamic terrorist Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab tried to detonate his Amsterdam-to-Detroit flight, a Dutch investigative reporter was able to smuggle more than enough liquid to make a bomb, onto a flight.

Alberto Stegeman, of “Undercover in Nederland,” which airs on Dutch TV, is known for sneaking bombs and explosives through airports, onto planes, and past various other “impenetrable” security. This is just the latest, and the way he did it is very clever . . . but not too clever that terrorists didn’t think of it. Or me. In the past, I’ve decried the fact that passengers were allowed to buy wine and other liquids in airport shops and restaurants, and then take them on planes, because I noted that, some way, somehow , this would enable terrorists to get their liquid bombs on flights. And Stegeman proved me right.

Stegeman demonstrated how he and two associates smuggled bottles of water from Schiphol International Airport to London’s Heathrow International Airport and onto Dulles International Airport in Washington.

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By Debbie Schlussel

This didn’t make last night’s Academy Awards or last month’s Super Bowl.  But it’s cute.

By Debbie Schlussel

A good friend of mine had the misfortune of experiencing an important–and scary–preview of what might face you, this year, as Census workers try to pry information from you beyond what is required by the U.S. Constitution.

Last summer, my friend was selected for the “pilot program” for the U.S. Census and tells me the frightening story of how U.S. Census workers repeatedly harassed her because she refused to fill out the ten-page questionnaire (which asked detailed, intrusive questions about her insurance, her kids’ schooling, how it was paid for and how they were transported there, etc.).  Because she refused to fill out the form,  a census worker visited her home over ten times, trying to threaten her into filling out the form.  The census worker even put a copy of “the law” in her mailbox, with something about being prosecuted highlighted.  The census worker told my friend that her participation was necessary to determine government social services, to which my friend replied that she doesn’t depend on the government and that they should pry into the lives of those who take welfare checks.

My friend, a teacher, wondered how a tiny requirement in the U.S. Constitution, requiring a count of American residents, resulted in Big Brother government suddenly demanding detailed personal information about her family.  My friend repeatedly told the census worker, “We have four people in our household.    That’s all I’m required to tell you, and that’s all you need to know.”  Unfortunately, shortly after that, my friend and her husband were audited by the IRS over an alleged discrepancy of $150.  Here’s more from my friend:

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By Debbie Schlussel

****  UPDATE:  Wow, shockers abound at this year’s Oscars:  Virtually no political speeches, a movie that shows American soldiers in a positive light (“The Hurt Locker”) beats out an over-hyped left-wing anti-American 3-D movie (“Avatar”) and wins in two major categories (with the director thanking our troops in Iraq and Afghanistan), Oprah’s horrid movie (“Precious”) loses most major categories (except the one horrible award to the obnoxious fat chick who won’t shave–Less ‘Nique, please), Clooney gets snubbed as does the anti-Semitic movie (“An Education”).  And so does the anti-Israel Arab creep’s flick (“Ajami”).  Ditto for America-hating, “we deserved 9/11” actress Maggie Gyllenhaal.  Given that, I’d say it was a great ceremony . . . for a change.  I’d like to thank the Academy.  ****

You may have heard:  tonight is the Academy Awards ceremony live telecast.  I’ve posted this before, but it bears re-posting.  I could watch it over and over.  It’s the best Academy Awards speech ever . . . not the biotch”s acceptance speech, but the late, great Paddy Chayefsky’s smackdown of her and her BS, right after (for which he got incredible, prolonged applause).  Chayefsky, by the way, proudly served in the U.S. Army during World War II and received the Purple Heart, after being wounded in Germany. His message applies to all the stupid political speeches and statements we’ll hear tonight, too.

In case you were wondering, these were my picks for 2009’s top movies, and here are the best movies, actors, etc. for which I voted as a member of the Detroit Film Critics Society.  If I picked the Oscars, those would be my picks.  So consider those my picks for tonight.

And on another  note, I’ve repeatedly noted on this site that the Israeli government needs to stop financing Bin Laden-esque propaganda and that made by its own enemies from within, far-left Israelis and Arabs like Scandar Copti and films like his “Ajami,” which is nominated for Best Foreign Language Film tonight.  He takes Israel’s money (which Israel was stupid to give) and then denounces the country.  I’ve highlighted the same problem with other self-hating, pan-terrorist Israeli government-funded movies, like “Waltz With Bashir,” as well as “Lemon Tree,” and “Paradise Now.”

More on Copti:

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