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Baltimore Italian once again.
- w
- Whitemarshjohn Jan 6, 2008 09:02 PM
I just thought I'd update everyone on my recent Baltimore Italian experiences. My Fiance and I had lunch at Chiapparelli's on Sunday and it was a wonderful experience. The food was great, service satisfying and I really liked the decor and atmosphere. I had ravioli with ricotta cheese and spinach and she had penne pasta with vodka sauce. I'm looking forward to going back again.
We also tried Ciao Bella for lunch on a Sunday and although it's a pretty place and our Waitress was very professional and helpful, my Fiance did not like her dish - the breaded chicken was sort of dry and I had chicken parm and the chicken was a little dry as well. I actually liked my dish - I've always preferred my chicken cooked "well". I would go back, but I don't know about my Fiance
We have had good luck with Amicci's. We've been there about 4 times recently and the food was always good and they are probably the least expensive Italian restaurant in Little Italy. The decor looks like a Ruby Tuesday's or something, but the food and reasonable prices make up for it.
We tried Giovanna's on Harford Road once and I just loved this little "hole in the wall" place. Their prices are dirt cheap and the food was so good. The people that run the place were very nice and seemed to appreciate our business. They don't have Servers, so you either take out, or grab one of the few tables when you can.
Roma's in Cockeysville actually had outstanding food. I had spaghetti and meatballs and my Fiance had swordfish. The garlic bread was amazing - especially if you like soft bread with tons of melted cheese on it. The Waitress was nice, but it seemed like a quirky place. They had some kind of Persian rugs for sale in the dining room, and everything seemed so "no frills" (plastic table clothes, thin cheap paper napkins, wall hangings from the 1970s)- kind of a Working man's place. Our tab was only $30.
We tried La Tavola in Little Italy several months ago for dinner, but all in all I don't think I would go back. The calamari appetizer was good, table bread was boring, my Fiance liked her dish although I thougth it was bland and I was really dissapointed that my piece of lasagna was such a small portion. The Waiter was sort of awkward as well. I did not enjoy it enough to recomend them. To their credit they did have lots of seafood dishes to choose from.
Liberatore's in Perry Hall is not too shabby. I've been there a couple of times in the past year. The decor at Liberatore's is very nice which make it the kind of place where you can make an impression, or take your time over drinks. I had been to Liberatore's in Timonium, but it was too many years ago to make any current judgement about them - it was good at the time.
I pretty much enjoy the red sauce, basic Italian type places. Some Italian restaurants on my list to try are Pasta Plus in Laurel, Sabatino's, Rocco's Capriccio, Vinnie's in Dundalk, and Fazzini's in Cockeysville. I'm sure there are more - I am open to suggestions. Another idea is too find a really good basic/red sauce place in New York City. I have family up there and would love to find one of those ledgendary old places where people line up because the food is so good.
re: sas
I have good friends who love that place, and so have been forced to go there a few times. I find the food horribly overpriced and mediocre to bad. I think the chicken marsala was horrid. While eating that, I understood why people used the term "shoe leather" to discuss inedible food.
re: baltoellen
I'd have to concur with baltoellen. We tried it once and won't be back. I wrote a review on it when we went.
Funny how some people love some places you can't stand, and vice-versa. As the old saying goes, there's no accounting for taste....
I wasn't aware that Liberatore's was a chain until now (I've only been to the Timonium one). I found it to be only so-so food: unimpressive but not inedible. Mostly it just didn't feel like it was worth the bill. Nice to hear you enjoyed yourself at the Perry Hall one though.
Used to be a regular at Fazzini's and what I remember was overall pretty great. Their specials are traditionally good; I used to love when they made cream of crab soup. Old standby's included their pound of pasta with clam sauce (Red or White), the Shrimp fra Diavolo, the Chicken Marsala, or the Pasta Fazzini. They make a tasty calzone as well. Unfortunately I haven't been there in awhile. I should change that.
Another place in the Lutherville area that I thought of was Pasta Blitz in this shopping center with REI and Superfresh. I was reminded when you said that Giovanna's was this order and sit down yourself kind of place. It seems to be getting good recs; I've only been there once. The portions are hearty and it's definitely flavorful. I think I remember both hits and misses in the little group I went with. I'll probably try again in the future though.
re: Wangus
Another good place to try if you ever get down around the Glen Burnie / Airport area is Cantina Mama Lucia on Rt. 176 / Dorsey Road, near Arundel Mills. Great quick food. Order at the counter, take a seat and then pick it up when called. Everything is very fresh and delicious and they have quite a few specials every night. Also they have a buffet at lunch with Salad, Pizza, garlic bread, Italian vegetables, and a Pasta and Meat selection, for like $8.59 with Drink, all you can eat.
Gotta give another plug to Cafe Gia in Little Italy.GO NOW!!! Bring your own wine and prepare to be wowwed by simple, fresh and delicious food. Take friends and get to know both the Gia's.
re: kimmer1850
Isn't there a $7.50 corkage fee?
re: JonParker
For something thats trying to be a neighborhood kind of place, I think thats silly. If you don't have a liquor license thats fine but just let people bring stuff in and don't charge them!
re: hon
I think it's really silly too, and actually told Gia that. In fact, I see corkage fees at BYO places wrong on many levels, since i's not as though you're not ordering their wine/beer/etc. (Yes. I understand that there is extra work and extra glassses to wash, etc.) But, this all may be moot soon, since they will be going for a beer/wine license.
While I'm really enchanted by the place, they also have a $8 splitting fee for entrees at dinner!
re: baltoellen
$8 splitting charge???
BTW there are pix of Gia's wedding in the latest issue of Style magazine.
re: baltoellen
Even more silly, there's a charge for splitting appetizers, which I found really weird. It was one of the places that led me to start this topic: http://www.chowhound.com/topics/474654
re: JonParker
I saw your post. I didn't know Cafe Gia was the place that inspired it!
re: baltoellen
Geez, I wanna check out the place but I am not sure now that there are so many rules and charges!
re: hon
Hello Hon and JonParker,
Just to clarify, Cafe Gia does NOT charge for splitting or sharing appetizers and to clarify once more Cafe Gia charges $6.00 to split dinner entrees, not $8.00. Considering the average price is 16.95 for a dinner entree, $6.00 is quite reasonable. Hope to see you soon.
re: siciliana
My apologies for being off by a couple of dollars on the splitting fee. The post JonParker mentioned above talked about a splitting fee versus a sharing fee. I assume that there's no charge unless the plating is done in the kitchen?
Thanks for any clarification, since we're ready to try dinner at your place, but often order a few apps, and split an entree....
re: baltoellen
Yes, the splitting fee refers to the kitchen plating one dinner entree on two plates. we have never and plan to never charge a 'sharing' fee for apps or entrees, for that matter. see you soon.
re: siciliana
What do you say to people who think your corkage fees are a bit high or that they even exist at all?
re: hon
I have eaten at and enjoyed the food at Gia's on a number of occasions. I think the $7.50 corkage fee is high but did not tell Gia that. I should have suggested Samos' charge of $2 per person which seems to have worked well there for a few years. As you say the acquistion of a liquor license makes the question moot.
re: JonParker
we do not charge for splitting appetizers. we have an entree splitting fee if one wants the items separated in the kitchen. as you well know when separating one full course unto two full size plates,the full course seems to look pretty lonely. consequently our kitchen staff begins to add a little more food to keep it company. thus the extra fee.however, if you guys want to share at table side, go for it ,i am happy that you enjoyed your meal ,will love seeing you again,but please,correct the statement, about the appetizer fee, as it is creating a misunderstanding with some of our diners who read this site.
thanks again.
the mom
re: giovanna blattermann
I am more than willing to take your word for it. I wouldn't want anyone confused.
re: JonParker
But did you eat there and were charged a fee for appetizer splitting, I am confused.
definately give pazza luna a shot. the homemade pasta is the best i've had. the mussels are perfect. the fish is very fresh, and the specials always deliver.
On the recommendation of this board I tried Aida Bistro in Columbia and liked it quite a bit. They were inventive and had a light touch. A couple of us had the prix fixe while the guy who had the roasted chicken said it was terrific.
In contrast I was disappointed in Trattoria Alberto in Glen Burnie. The service was attentive but the food was unmemorable, even down to the bread. I didn't really mind that the decor was a little worn, but simple places like Trattoria da Enrico in the two Columbia locations I think offer better authentic food at a lower price.
I haven't been to Pasta Plus in years. I had a horrible experience with cold pasta and overly heavy and sweet sauces, and wrote them off my list as a place that emphasizes quantity over quality. A friend said the mistake was going at lunch but that seems a poor excuse.
re: 2stepper
I stopped by Giovanna's Friday night. The place was packed. What happpened! didn't wait but moved on to Tyson's and ate at the bar. Great mashed potatoes with the hot beef sandwich and homemade gravy. Hospitable owner as advertised on this board.
I happened to pick up a Thursday Sun "Live" section and saw Karen Nitkin's January 3 flattering review of Giovanna's. Every word well deserved. But it looks like it will be hard to get a seat if the customers like it as much as Whitemarsh John and I do.
Maybe it will be easier now for Marie Rose and Valentino to sell the place although their personal warmth will be much missed.
re: baltimorejim
Bella Napoli in Pasadena (Mountain Rd) has the best pizza Ive tasted since NJ.
re: Turkeybone
I ate at Bella Napoli last night based on some of the rec's here, especially of Turkeybone due to the fact I too am from NJ. Well I was sadly dissapointed.
My wife and I had the garlic nots (frozen and re-heated not fresh) and bruschetta (OK but again, not great at all) to start.
For dinner I had the Chicken Voldostana (Chicken covered with prosciuttto, mozzarella, mushrooms and marsala sause over spaghetti and my wife had the Chicken parm with pasta.
The chicken in both dishes was flavorless as far as the actual meat was concerned and except for the extremely metalic and over salted taste of both sauces, the dish was uninspiring and bland. The pasta quality could have saved both meals but it was pretty terrible itself, undercooked, and seemed to be prepared using the terrible tradition in some kitchens of preparing (boiling) the pasta well before hand in the afternoon and reheating later...giving the pasta a toughness and destarched taste.
The service was GREAT though. and the atmosphere friendly. The food was not good and I would not return. I have a high bar set for italian food due to growing up in a very ethnic part of NJ and being used to 100% authentic from scratch italian food. This place will not give you that, but if you have a less sophisticated Italian food taste and never really had the "good stuff" I could see this as an alternative to a chain.
This Jersey boy will not return.
re: Bulldogg65
Sorry to hear your experience wasnt as good as all of mine have been. I live right down the road so we've eaten there often. I am Italian and my roommate as well, as is the entire kitchen running the place, very fresh off the boat.
That being said, it sounds like you went on a night the dad wasnt there, because Ive never experienced any of these off tastes, and the knots are definitely some of the best Ive had -- not at all frozen. I'm pretty sure Ive had the "good stuff", but if you dont think bella napoli is, youre going to have to travel a lot further than Baltimore to find what you're looking for.
re: hotel
Yes, Sotta Sopra is a favorite, although this is not your "Little Italy"-type of place.
A bunch of us went to Ciao at the new Quarry Lakes development in Pikesville last night.I was expecting a run-of-the-mill pizza place but was most pleasantly surprised! The range of pastas, fish, veal and beef dishes was extensive, the service excellent (ask for Nicole) and I plan to return soon! Being new in that part of town good restaurants like this always draw the loacl denizens in masses at fiirst, so make a reservation and be prepared to wait about 15 or 20 minutes in the evening.
re: RichardCrystal
We got take out from Ciao (boyfriend lives across the street) and we found the food to be okay but not great. We said we would return since its across the street but we can't imagine going out of the way for it. I had the Tortellini Bella Lucia and he had tyhe risotto paella. I think the fact that we got it as carry out and maybe it sat a little longer than it should might have contributed to us not being wowed by it.
LaTavola: Hideously overpriced, lousy service, mediocre food.
Sabatino's: Why do I have to pay extra for angel hair pasta?
Chiaparrelli's: Top of my list, never been disappointed.
Fazzini's: Good food, sesible prices.
Liberatore's: Depends on which one you visit.
Roma: Great food, inexpensive.
Ciao, Quarry Lake: A wonderful surprise!!!
re: Whitemarshjohn
We went to Cafe Gia last night and I was surprised that they were very busy despite the fact that they (to my knowledge) are a fairly new restaurant. Everything in there looks so fresh and new. They did a great job decorating. I'm no expert on Italian restaurants, but I would guess that their food is a blend of trendier Italian dishes (with seafood) and the traditional red sauce dishes. I believe our Waitress was the Owner. She's an attractive gracious lady who helped lead us to a really nice bruschetta bread appetizer (the bread was just soooo good) and a wonderful tiramisu for dessert which was sinfully good. The menu was short - which I really appreciate. My Fiance had gnocchi with bolognese sauce and I ordered the lobster ravioli which was topped with scallops and shrimp. I particularly liked my dish and the scallops were wonderful. My Fiance's dish was sort of typical of what you'd expect of gnocchi with bolognese sauce. We ordered coffee with dessert which was really good. Our check came to $59 which is about average for us. Overall I would recommend them and I think they can be successful for as long as they want to be.
re: Whitemarshjohn
Thanks for the review!
re: Wangus
I had the pleasure of eating at Cafe Gia last night for Valentine's day. The space is beautiful and inviting, both inside and out. Gia and her daughter are running a great place and I hope they continue to do well. The food was nothing short of spectacular. In addition to the main menu, they offered two specials for Valentine's day. New zealand lambchops, and a filet mignon with shrimp. I ordered the lobster ravioli, which came in a very tasty sauce, topped with shrimp and scallops, soo good!! My wife had the clams w/ linguine in a red sauce which she absolutely loved. Fresh steamed clams still in the shell were pouring out of the dish. Others at the table had the lamb chops which were cooked to order and very tasty and juicy. All in all, the great decor, and the fabulous food make this a great neighborhood joint. Even the bread was soft and moist on the inside, with a crunchy outside. I will def be returning to try more off the menu, hopefully for lunch too. Thanks again Gia for a wonderul meal!!


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Hello! I'm Nils Sköld and I aim to change the world through user experience design.
During the day I design at Spotify. Working at the Growth department to make new users feel welcome, and keep the existing ones happy.
When I'm not working or hanging out with friends I build things. At the moment I'm learning Swift for a camera app idea that I have.
I'm writing a book on User Journeys, but don't expect it anytime soon. I also write weekly essays on Medium.
Places I Have Lived
I live in Stockholm, the capital of Sweden. And I was born in Gothenburg, on the west coast of Sweden. I love living abroad, and have written about it in theses blogs.
A detailed and humorous account of my crazy 2013 in China.
I spent 5 months in Ireland in 2006 and wrote a blog about what I did.

subset: commoncrawl


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What I Got Wrong, 2013 Edition
December 30, 2013 § 4 Comments
As it's the end of the year, it's time to revisit my 12 months of screw-ups (last year's mea culpa is here). There don't seem to be as many big ones this year as last year, but that is not a function of my improving analysis and is rather a function of my increasingly neglectful blogging habits; last year I wrote 276 posts, this year only 65. Thankfully for all of you though, there's still plenty of material for you to use in heaping scorn upon my head. Here are some of the lowlights.
Israeli-Palestinian peace talks: On February 13, I wrote a post entitled "The Prospects For Real Peace Talks" in which I downplayed the idea that Israel would enter into substantive talks with the Palestinians. I didn't think the makeup of what I expected to be the new Israeli coalition government would allow for real negotiations to take place, and I wrote, "even if Tzipi Livni brings Hatnua into the government nobody should be getting their hopes up too high for a big diplomatic push on the horizon." We can debate whether the current talks are going to lead anywhere real, but certainly the process is taking place and there have been enough signs that the talks have been substantive and are going well that this call was wrong on my part.
Erdoğan's relative reasonableness: This seems destined to become a permanently recurring theme, as a similar prediction made this list last year too. Last year it was about Erdoğan realizing that his interests should override his harsh rhetoric on Israel, and this year it was about Erdoğan realizing that his interests should override his harsh stance toward the Gezi protestors. In trying to figure out how Gezi was going to resolve itself, I wrote on June 7, "Erdoğan does not want to back down, but my instincts tell me that as he is reminded of just how much his popularity depends on the economy and as he faces the prospect of losing the bid for the 2020 Turkish Olympics, he will try to come up with some sort of solution to end the chaos in the streets without having to go so far as to issue a formal full-blown apology. The fact that there is no opposition party poised to take advantage of the situation makes backing down slightly easier for him to do, and even Erdoğan understands just how crucial it is for his and his party's longterm political future to make sure the Turkish economy keeps humming along. Only the prospect of serious economic damage will get him to back down, since giving in to the protestors in any way is completely anathema to his general philosophy and outlook. How long it will take for him to get to this point is way beyond my prognostication skills, but I'd be surprised if he doesn't get there at one point or another."
Oops. Erdoğan did not ease up on his rhetoric in any measurable way, and he in fact actually became increasingly harsher and waited for the protests' momentum to peter out over time, which it did. Eleven days after my prediction, I was forced to write another post dealing with Erdoğan's even more over-the-top responses to Gezi, as the prospect of economic losses clearly had not moved him. It's worth remembering now as the corruption scandal is raging around him, since unlike last year, this time I really have learned my lesson. The only way Erdoğan is backing down this time, economic crisis be damned, is if his party forces him to do so by default in replacing him.
Bibi's position in Likud: I don't know why I am so insistent on this point, but every few months I seem to write a post predicting trouble on the horizon for Netanyahu within Likud to the point that he will be split the party or be ousted. While I am going to stubbornly insist that events will at some point vindicate my point of view, they haven't yet. On June 27 in a post called "The Likud Bell Is Tolling For Bibi" I ran through some of Netanyahu's recent troubles and then denigrated an op-ed my Mati Tuchfeld in which he predicted that Netanyahu could retake the party pretty much any time he wanted. I wrote, "I think this is a bad misreading of the situation that does not take into account just how much things have changed. Likud members used to venerate their prime minister, but at last year's Likud convention, Netanyahu was being disparaged left and right in a way that had never occurred before. In addition, much like the younger generation of Congressional Republicans here, folks like Danon have little desire to stand on tradition and do not venerate Netanyahu, and are not going to "fall at his feet" just because he wishes it….There is a new coterie of deputy ministers and up and coming backbenchers who not only do not like or trust Netanyahu, they don't feel as if they owe him anything. He did not mentor them and they got to where they are now via the Likud primary, which Netanyahu now wants to get rid of, and so they are not going to back him just because he asks. And unlike a year ago, they are no longer revolutionaries and they speak for a larger percentage of the party."
While my assessment of the dynamic was correct, my assessment of Netanyahu's grip on the party and power to influence outcomes was not. Earlier this month, three proposed Likud constitutional amendments whose aim was to weaken Netanyahu were withdrawn under pressure before they could even be brought up for a vote. It seems clear that the new deputy ministers do not like or trust Netanyahu a great deal, but it seems equally clear that Netanyahu is still very much in control of the party and is not going anywhere.
I'm sure there is more, and please feel free to point out any other things that I got egregiously or embarrassingly wrong this year. Here's hoping to a great 2014.
Erdoğan's Paranoia Hits An All-Time High
August 20, 2013 § 12 Comments
Apologies to all for the extended blog hiatus over the last few weeks. I had to go on a self-imposed blog and twitter blackout in order to finish my dissertation, since otherwise it was never going to get done. Now that a complete draft is in to my committee, it's time to get back to the topic du jour, which is the continuing crackup of Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. The Turkish prime minister today accused Israel of being behind the Egyptian military coup and claimed that he has evidence, which consists of an unnamed Jewish French intellectual – and Erdoğan took pains to emphasize that this person is Jewish – telling an Israeli minister in 2011 that the Muslim Brotherhood would not be in power even if they won elections because democracy is about more than the ballot box. As it turns out, the intellectual to whom Erdoğan was referring is Bernard Henri-Levy, who was on a panel with Tzipi Livni in June 2011 and said that the military should be called out if the Brotherhood comes to power in Egypt through elections. Got that straight? A French Jew said two years ago that he does not want the Muslim Brotherhood ruling Egypt, so therefore Israel is behind the current military coup. Who can possibly argue with such sound logic?
Even for Erdoğan, this latest broadside is absurdly over the top, and make sure to keep it in mind the next time a Turkish government official insists that nobody in the government has a problem with Jews but only with Israel, and that references to Jews and Zionists are always meant to refer solely to Israelis. Erdoğan's paranoid scapegoating of Henri-Levy ( "O da Yahudi" as Erdoğan would like to remind us) is part and parcel of his general histrionics surrounding the military coup in Egypt. Since the generals overthrew Mohamed Morsi, Erdoğan and Ahmet Davutoğlu have been raging on a daily basis against the Egyptian army, at first refusing to recognize Adly Mansour as the new Egyptian president and eventually temporarily recalling the Turkish ambassador in Cairo back to Ankara last week. With Qatar appearing to recognize the writing on the wall and working to establish a good relationship with the military government in Egypt, Turkey is now standing alone in its vociferous support of the MB and largely isolated in the measure of rage it is directing toward the generals.
The coup in Egypt touches a nerve with Erdoğan for a number of reasons. First, the downfall of Morsi and the routing of the MB exposes the emptiness of Turkish foreign policy, which had placed all of its eggs in the basket of a new MB-dominated order in the Middle East. With its Syria policy in complete shambles and the new Middle East starting to look a lot like the old Middle East, Ankara is as isolated as it has ever been. None of its initiatives have worked and not only does it not have influence with important regional actors such as the Israeli and Egyptian governments, but it has gone out of its way to offend leaders who view Turkey as trying to meddle in the internal affairs of other states. Morsi's removal dashes Erdoğan's hopes of building a new regional order with Turkey at its head.
Second, the specter of crowds massing in the streets and the military overthrowing the government hits a little too close to home for Erdoğan given what he was dealing with in June and the history of Turkish military coups. Erdoğan's biggest claim to fame is his defanging of the military, and even after demonstrating that Turkish civilian control (and undemocratic intimidation) over the army is complete with the Ergenekon verdicts a couple of weeks ago, no Turkish prime minister – and certainly no Turkish prime minister with Erdoğan's background – is ever going to feel completely safe from the long arm of the military. Erdoğan looks at what is taking place in Egypt through a distinctly Turkish prism, and in many ways his views on the Egyptian coup are actually a complex psychological projection of his fears about his own position.
Finally, the view that, despite being elected in free and fair elections, the Morsi government was not a democratic one because of its embrace of absolute majoritarian rule at the expense of all minority viewpoints is the same charge hurled at the Turkish government (including by yours truly) when the Gezi protests were brutally suppressed. Erdoğan hangs onto the idea that elections confer absolute legitimacy that can never be overridden no matter what the circumstances because that is how he legitimates all manner of questionable Turkish state action. He will never abide admitting that perhaps the Morsi government was damaging its democratic credentials because to do so would open the door to accusations of error on his part as well. Erdoğan sees the army removing an elected government amidst accusations of policy overreach and undemocratic behavior, and he imagines a nightmare alternate universe where the same could happen to him. This is the context in which his ridiculous comments today about Israel come in (although it should be said that while Israel had absolutely nothing to do with the coup, it has supported the Egyptian military in the aftermath with a zeal that is worrisome). He is so incensed and blind with rage about what went down in Egypt that he is wildly striking out and trying to hit any target that he can with anything that will stick, and Israel is always a convenient piñata.
Erdoğan is accelerating a trend that began in earnest with the government's response to the Gezi protestors, which is sacrificing any vestige of Turkish influence internationally in order to solidify his position at home. Blaming Israel – or more accurately, Jews – for the Egyptian coup, the Gezi protests, and anything else he can think of will play well domestically, but his reaction to Egypt has just deepened Turkey's isolation. Turkey has gone from a zero problems with neighbors policy to one in which it is hard to find any former regional ally left with whom Turkey is not feuding to one degree or another. As Erdoğan allows his worst instincts to overtake him, he is bringing Turkish foreign policy down with him as well.
Optimism and Pessimism On The New Round Of Peace Talks
July 25, 2013 § 13 Comments
Now that reports are surfacing that negotiations between the Israelis and the Palestinians are scheduled to begin in Washington on Tuesday – although there are also conflicting reports that Saeb Erekat is going to stay home until the Israelis agree to use the 1967 lines as the basis for negotiations over the final border – it seems like a good time to lay out some reasons for optimism and reasons for pessimism about whether these talks are fated to go anywhere. Since I am generally pretty cynical about such things, let's start with the reasons why I think the talks may fail. One of the biggest obstacles is the domestic politics involved. Brent Sasley has written a thorough piece arguing that the politics right now on the Israeli side are actually favorable for meaningful negotiations and concessions, but I tend to see things differently. Prime Minister Netanyahu has not shown the willingness in the past to actually deal with the hard choices involved in coming to an agreement, and while that does not mean that he is incapable of doing so, nothing in his past indicates that he is an enthusiastic peace process negotiator. If he is being dragged to the negotiating table unwillingly through a combination of pressure and quid pro quo for past U.S. security assistance, it is not going to bode well for the final outcome. Even if he is doing it of his own volition, which is certainly in the realm of possibility, the fact that he seems unwilling to accede to measures such as relinquishing sovereignty over parts of Jerusalem – which is going to have to be in any deal that the Palestinians will accept – is a bad omen. Then there is the problem of Netanyahu's party. The current iteration of the Likud is the most right wing in its history, and a large bloc, if not an outright majority of the party, does not trust Netanyahu and is adamantly opposed to negotiations. In fact, an increasingly large subset of Likud members, led by Danny Danon, have been openly calling for Israel to annex the West Bank and ditch the two state solution in favor of the rightwing version of a one state solution. It is also the case that the more radical Likud members now control the party's policy apparatus and serve as deputy ministers in the government; in fact, it seems as if Netanyahu is refuting the latest nonsense from Deputy Defense Minister Danon every other week. Sasley argues that this cast of characters is aware that they cannot win without Netanyahu and will ultimately fall in line, but I am not nearly so certain. Plenty of Likud voters will vote for the party if, say, Bogie Ya'alon is the headliner, and I don't think that the Likud ministers and back benchers are going to sit idly by if Netanyahu begins to give up territory in the West Bank or order the evacuation of settlements. They have staked their political reputations almost entirely on rejectionism of the two state solution, and just because Netanyahu asks them nicely does not mean that they would not rather have a smaller but purer version of the Likud. See the experience that John Boehner has had with his own unruly caucus of House Republican newcomers as a parallel to how this would play out. Furthermore, Netanyahu is being kept afloat by his temporary merger with Yisrael Beiteinu, which he wants to turn into a permanent one. Without the extra YB votes, Likud immediately loses 10-12 seats in the Knesset. The problem is that Avigdor Lieberman is in many ways the original rightwing one stater, and there is simply no way in which he agrees to keep the two parties together once settlements are given up. Netanyahu knows this, which provides another incentive to make sure that talks break down along their usual pattern. The same problem exists with coalition partner Habayit Hayehudi, which has repeatedly threatened to leave the government over the issue of freezing settlements and whose head, Naftali Bennett, is also an advocate of annexation. Sasley argues that pulling out of the coalition will risk breaking the party apart, leaving Bennett politically homeless, and so he can't risk it. I think the much bigger risk to Bennett is the party folding or excommunicating him for selling out his core principles if he agrees to remain in a government that agrees to extricate itself from the West Bank. After all, the party's very name – Jewish Home in English – is meant to refer to the entirely of the Land of Israel from the river to the sea and explicitly lay claim to all of the territory as part of the Jewish state. The idea that the greater risk in this lies in leaving the government seems to gloss over the very reason the party exists, its history, and its makeup. There is also the issue of a referendum, which Netanyahu has now promised to hold to approve any peace agreement that is struck with the Palestinians. While the latest poll in Ha'aretz indicates that 55% of Israelis would approve a peace agreement, that is in a generic sense. Once the details are factored in and various political parties and lobbying groups begin to play on Israeli fears about security, sovereignty over Jerusalem and the Temple Mount, the Jewish character of the state, etc. it will be very easy to siphon off entire groups of voters through scare tactics and populist campaigns. That 55% number is a mirage, akin to the way in which Yair Lapid supports a two state solution but is adamantly opposed to any division of Jerusalem; lots of people support a peace deal in theory, but the devil is in the details. Bennett knows this, which is why Habayit Hayehudi has pushed to extend the Basic Law that requires a referendum to approve giving up land that Israel has annexed – East Jerusalem and the Golan – to include the West Bank as well. The hope on the right is that a referendum will doom any successful negotiations for good. Finally, there is the Palestinian side. There is no need to rehash here all of the various arguments over Mahmoud Abbas and whether he rejected Ehud Olmert's offer of 99% of the West Bank or whether he simply did not respond because Olmert was a lame duck and out of office before he even had a chance. My own opinion is that the truth lies somewhere in the middle, but I am not as convinced as others on the left that Abbas is a willing a peace negotiator. The insistence on preconditions to negotiating is a tactic designed to doom talks, and the fact that Abbas was not willing to jump on Netanyahu's partial 10 month building freeze a couple of years ago as the excuse he needed to reenter talks does not bolster the case of those who want to pin all of the blame on the Israeli side. Abbas may indeed want to talk, but I do not think it is fair to portray him as champing at the bit to get started. On the flip side, there are reasons to be optimistic. While, as I noted above, Netanyahu has not shown a propensity in the past to reach an agreement that the Palestinians can reasonably accept, he certainly appears to have arrived at the realization that Israel's international standing is becoming more precarious by the day. The EU guidelines on settlements last week seem to have been a wakeup call of sorts, and his now repeated public warnings that Israel is facing a real prospect of a binational state indicate that his attitude in 2013 is very different than it was during his tenure as prime minister in the mid-90s or during the beginning of his current stint in 2009. In addition, as Dahlia Scheindlin has pointed out, polls consistently and repeatedly show support for a two state solution, 83 out of 120 seats in the current Knesset are controlled by parties theoretically supporting two states, and the support for two states remains even when you add various line items about specific concessions into the polling questions. In this light, the referendum may turn out to be a very good thing, since it will reinforce the move toward a negotiated solution. It is also encouraging that Netanyahu is seeking political cover to do what needs to be done, since if he negotiates a deal that is then approved by the Israeli electorate, it will be difficult for the right to claim that he has overstepped his authority. Finally, there is the fact that the best way for negotiations to succeed is if the specific details are kept under wraps, and any concessions made by either side are not wielded by opponents of two states as populist cudgels designed to doom the talks. John Kerry has done a good job of this by not publicly outlining the conditions that each side have agreed to in order for talks to resume, but even more encouragingly so has Netanyahu. There is currently a purposeful cloud of ambiguity hovering over the question of whether Israel has frozen settlement construction or not, with Netanyahu denying such a freeze exists and Housing Minister Uri Ariel saying that the de facto and unannounced policy in place is not allowing for any new construction. This, more than anything, is the most hopeful sign of all, since if Netanyahu has actually frozen settlement construction while trying to trick his party and coalition into thinking that he has done no such thing, it is a more serious indication of his desire to really strike a deal than any other datapoint I have seen. P.S. To watch me talk about this more extensively, here is a link to a video of a roundtable hosted by David Halperin and the Israel Policy Forum that I did yesterday with Hussein Ibish and Dahlia Scheindlin. It's long, but an interesting and thorough discussion of the various issues involved.
Bibi's Coalition Gamble
February 20, 2013 § 6 Comments
It has been almost a month since the Israeli election, and yesterday finally brought us the first move to form a coalition as Tzipi Livni's Hatnua party agreed to join up with Bibi Netanyahu and Likud Beiteinu. I have been skeptical throughout the campaign and the election's aftermath that Livni would come to an agreement with Netanyahu given her efforts to convince Ehud Olmert and even Shimon Peres to run; her failed maneuvering at uniting Hatnua, Labor, and Yesh Atid into an anti-Bibi bloc; her constant railing against Netanyahu as a danger and a failed prime minister; the fact that Hatnua includes former Labor leaders Amir Peretz and Amram Mitzna, neither of whom are exactly Netanyahu cheerleaders; and finally, her refusal to join with Bibi after the last election when her party – which was then Kadima – had the most seats in the Knesset and she would have been able to work out a deal in which she served as co-prime minister. Nevertheless, Livni has now reversed course and has accepted the positions of Justice Minister and chief negotiator with the Palestinians, and she will be reporting to Netanyahu rather than the eventual Foreign Minister in this latter gig.
Many people are now speculating on what this means for the peace process and whether Livni's overseeing negotiations means that we can expect some real movement ahead. I don't think this changes anything and I wouldn't be taking any investment advice from people who think that Livni is going to pull Netanyahu along rather than the reverse, but the really interesting angle here is the political one. Bringing Livni into the coalition is not about Netanyahu signaling anything on the peace process, but about putting pressure on Naftali Bennett to join the government. The thinking on Netanyahu's part goes as follows: he now has 37 seats lined up and getting Kadima and its 2 seats is a given, and he is on the verge of adding Shas (his real goal all along) and its 11 seats, which means that he can then turn to Bennett and Habayit Hayehudi and use their 12 seats to get past the magic number of 61. Netanyahu is gambling that once he adds Kadima and Shas, he will present Bennett with an ultimatum of joining the government or calling new elections, and that Bennett will not be able to withstand the pressure ensuing from calls for him to join a rightwing coalition and so he will crack. Essentially, Netanyahu is betting on Bennett's alliance with Yair Lapid and Yesh Atid not being strong enough to buck the rightwing nationalist forces in HH who want to band together with Likud and the religious forces in HH who don't see why serving in a government with Shas is the end of the world. Hence the immediate rumors that negotiations with Shas are proceeding and that it too will join the coalition imminently.
This plan of Bibi's seems nicely formulated, but ultimately I don't think it will work. More importantly, if Bennett is smart he will make sure that it doesn't. The success of Bibi's strategy turns on the idea that Bennett will do anything to avoid going to another round of elections, but much as I thought (correctly, as it turned out) that Netanyahu miscalculated in allying with Yisrael Beiteinu, I think he is miscalculating here as well. Netanyahu's gamble is that new elections will cost Bennett seats and weaken his position, and that might have been true before yesterday, but bringing in Livni changes things in a big way. If I am a HH voter, I am not going to punish the party for not joining with its natural Likud partner by fleeing and and now voting for Likud since bringing Tzipi Livni on board to deal with peace process issues makes Likud untrustworthy. Looking at this map of election results and seeing where HH got votes makes this point abundantly clear; voters in Elon Moreh and Karnei Shomron are not now going to give up on Bennett and vote for Bibi given his most recent coalition choice.
In addition, many Likud voters are not going to be terribly happy now that Netanyahu has banded together with Livni, and I don't see how doing so possibly increases his share of votes at all in a hypothetical new round of elections. If anything, it drives even more people away and into the arms of Bennett, and if you need some further proof, just look at Moshe Feiglin's crack today that he hopes Likud will be in the coalition too. Furthermore, by trying to repeat history and bring Shas – his most pliable partners – into the coalition, Netanyahu is turning his back on the draft issue, which is one of the most popular issues in Israel today and which Lapid rode to his stunning success. Not only is Netanyahu potentially angering his base by bringing Livni in, he is angering many other voters who don't understand why he insists on bringing Shas into the government despite the massive popular will for reforming the draft. Given what has transpired, if new elections were held today, I think that Likud would drop even further while Habayit Hayehudi and Yesh Atid would pick up some new mandates.
Netanyahu is behaving as if bringing first Livni and then Shas into the government gives him all the leverage he needs over Bennett to break up the YA-HH alliance, but I think he has things wrong. If he brings in Shas, he will then be unable to form a government without Lapid or Bennett (I am operating on the assumption that Labor is not joining at this point), and so in reality Bennett will be the one with the leverage over Netanyahu. Reports are that Bennett is feeling heat from within his party over his footdragging to run to Likud and his head-scratching unbreakable bond with Lapid, but by brining Livni into the government, Netanyahu actually did Bennett a favor. He now has a good excuse to sit tight, and once Netanyahu strikes a deal with Shas, he benefits further from sticking to his guns on the draft issue and staying out. If I were Bennett and Netanyahu presented me with the ultimatum to join the coalition with Shas or go to new elections, I would be printing up new campaign posters before even getting off the phone.
The Prospects For Real Peace Talks
February 13, 2013 § 2 Comments
I wrote about this topic last week from the U.S. perspective in light of President Obama's forthcoming trip to Israel, but from the standpoint of Israel politics some comments yesterday from Yair Lapid and Naftali Bennett are worth highlighting in assessing what movement we can expect to see on the peace process from the next Israeli government. As faithful O&Z readers know, I am fairly confident that Yesh Atid and Habayit Hayehudi will be in the coalition, and I am also fairly confident that Yair Lapid cares a lot more about the military draft issue than he does about the peace process and that he should not be viewed as the great savior of the peace camp and the two state solution. In light of this, let's consider some facts that are emerging about the coalition talks and some things that were said by Lapid and Bennett yesterday in different forums.
To begin with, Lapid and Bennett have negotiated a deal that binds their fates together so that either Yesh Atid and Habayit Hayehudi will both be in the government or both parties will stay out. While Bibi Netanyahu is frantically trying to peel Bennett away from Lapid by making him extravagant but exploding offers, so far Bennett appears to be resistant to go back on his agreement with Lapid. This is interesting, because obviously Likud is more of a natural partner for Habayit Hayehudi than Yesh Atid is as Netanyahu and Bennett are closer ideologically – despite their history of personal issues – than Bennett and Lapid are. The one issue on which HH and YA are closer on is the issue of the draft and equalizing the burden of service, which suggests that it is the issue most important to both Lapid and Bennett and the one on which both parties are most reluctant to back down. Lots of attention has been paid to Lapid's pledge that he is guided by overhauling the draft and reanimating the peace process and that he will not join a government that does not agree to do both, but in tying his fate to Bennett's, he is signaling that one of those issues is far more important to him than the other and that the peace process condition is more about lip service than anything else.
Then there were Lapid's remarks yesterday before the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations meeting in Jerusalem, in which he said that Ehud Olmert had gone too far in his concessions toward the Palestinians while prime minister, that Jerusalem could never be divided in his view, and that the Palestinians were going to have to accept an interim semi-state within temporary borders subject to future revision. Now, none of this makes Lapid a fire-breathing Greater Israel supporter, but it also does not make him the great champion of the two state solution that some think he is. Not agreeing to a Palestinian capital in East Jerusalem and talking about interim agreements are both positions that probably make peace talks doomed to fail before they even begin. The interim agreement is the bigger hurdle of these two, since while Jerusalem can be negotiated over during talks, no Palestinian government at this point will even come to the table for talks that deal with anything less than a final status agreement. This is the ultimate display of someone trying to cultivate a more left-wing image without adopting any policies to match. Again, this does not make Lapid an extremist or out of line with mainstream Israeli popular opinion, but it also does not make him the next Yitzhak Rabin.
Lapid's new best friend also had some things of his own to say about the prospects of a Palestinian state yesterday, but in a much more straightforward way. In a Knesset speech, Bennett said that "there is no room" for a Palestinian state, that it will never happen, and that the government needs to say with finality that the Land of Israel belongs to the people of Israel. Nobody has ever had any illusions about Bennett's views on the peace process and the two state solution so this does not come as a surprise, but the important takeaway here is that Lapid knows full well what Bennett's views are and has still hitched his wagon to Bennett's. Irrespective of whatever his own personal views may be, it is difficult from a political perspective to think that Lapid is committed to real negotiations when he will only go into the government if Bennett goes as well. Taking all of these factors into consideration, even if Tzipi Livni bring Hatnua into the government nobody should be getting their hopes up too high for a big diplomatic push on the horizon.
Did Israelis Give The Center A Big Win?
January 24, 2013 § 9 Comments
Now that the final results of the Israeli election are in, everyone is rushing to declare that centrist parties were the big winners and that the Israeli electorate has made a surprising shift away from the right. This is understandable in light of the fact that Yair Lapid and his Yesh Atid party won 19 seats to become the second largest party in the Knesset and Bibi Netanyahu led the Likud-Beiteinu list to an extremely disappointing 31 seats, down from the 42 seats that Likud and Yisrael Beiteinu control in the current Knesset. Nevertheless, I think that this view of things is incorrect. As I argue in Foreign Affairs, this does not take into account that the other so-called centrist parties did poorly and finished well below expectations and that many Likud voters chose to move even farther to the right by giving Habayit Hayehudi 12 seats. In addition, Yesh Atid can be characterized as centrist in some ways but as pragmatically rightwing in others, and so dubbing yesterday's results as an unabashed win for the center is misleading. In fact, the center controls 28 seats in the current Knesset, but will control 27 seats in the next one (19 for Yesh Atid, 6 for Hatnua, 2 for Kadima), so in reality the center actually lost ground. No doubt Lapid scored a big victory, but one centrist party doing well does not mean that Israel is now avowedly centrist, particularly when other centrist parties turned in disappointing performances and the banner rightwing nationalist party more than doubled its current Knesset representation. Here is a teaser from my piece in FA:
The problem with this narrative, however, is that Tuesday's results were not really a victory for centrists and Yesh Atid is not really a centrist party. The largest vote-getter was still Likud-Beiteinu, made up of arguably the most right-wing version of Likud in the party's history and the nationalist and pro-settlement Yisrael Beiteinu. Bayit Yehudi also did well, and it will be the fourth largest party in the Knesset with 11 seats. On the left, Labor underperformed and could not even garner enough votes to win second place as expected. Livni's Hatnua, meanwhile, won fewer seats than even the parochial ultra-orthodox party, United Torah Judaism. Kadima, a real centrist party, has all but disappeared, plummeting from 28 seats to two. Even though the right-wing parties did not do quite as well as they had hoped, the larger picture does not support the claim that the center scored a great victory.
Furthermore, the grouping of Labor, Hatnua, and Yesh Atid under a centrist or center-left banner is analytically lazy. On economic issues, those three parties do indeed fall within the left and the center. On security and foreign policy issues, Labor and Hatnua are centrist as well. Yesh Atid, however, cannot be accurately described as centrist when it comes to the peace process. Lapid has stated that Jerusalem cannot be divided under any circumstances and insists that standing firm on this issue will force the Palestinians to recant their demand that East Jerusalem serve as the capital of a future Palestinian state. During the campaign, Lapid chose the West Bank settlement of Ariel as the place to give a major campaign speech calling for negotiations with the Palestinians, and declined to endorse a settlement freeze. None of this is enough to put him into the far-right camp, which rejects the two-state solution and calls for annexing the West Bank, but it also does not make him a centrist. In fact, Lapid's views on security issues are close to those that Netanyahu has publicly staked out.
To read the rest please click over to Foreign Affairs, and comments and emails are welcome as always.
Welcome to Israeli Election Day
January 22, 2013 § 2 Comments
Finally, the day we've all been waiting for – Israelis go to the polls today to elect a new Knesset and a new government for the first time since 2009. Despite the fact that we don't have any results yet, I thought I'd set out a list of things we know and things we don't.
Things We Know:
–Bibi Netanyahu and Likud Beiteinu are going to win the most seats in the Knesset and Likud will be the largest party. This is an easy one given the polls, since even with the Likud Beiteinu list losing about a seat a week for months now, no other party is going to come close to the 32-36 seats LB is likely to take. The irony of course is that Netanyahu created the joint list in order to create an unbeatable force, yet Likud might have done better on its own as banding together with Avigdor Lieberman and Yisrael Beiteinu likely cost Netanyahu seats for a host of reasons (and from the Department of Shameless Self Promotion, remember who told you months ago that this was a very bad idea on Bibi's part). Despite the blunder, Labor is probably going to come in second with 15-18 seats, and Habayit Hayehudi and Yesh Atid are going to be battling for 3rd and 4th place. It is possible that the LB list will have twice as many seats as the next largest party despite its free fall in the polls, although this is a bit misleading since the two parties agreed to merge until only 30 days past the election, at which point they are free to revisit their agreement and separate. The most interesting little nugget about Likud being the largest party in the Knesset is that despite having served two terms as prime minister, this will be the first time that Netanyahu leads his party to a Knesset victory. When Netanyahu was elected in 1996, Israel was in the midst of its decade-long experiment of directly electing the prime minister, and so while Netanyahu beat Shimon Peres by 1% in the prime ministerial vote, Likud won 32 seats to Labor's 34. In 2009, Likud came in second to Kadima, but after Tzipi Livni was unable to form a government, Netanyahu swooped in and cobbled together a governing coalition despite controlling the second largest party in the Knesset rather than the largest. By the end of today, Netanyahu will finally be able to say that he led his party to an electoral victory.
Things We Don't Know
–Everything else. And I mean that. Aside from Likud Beiteinu winning the most mandates, I cannot say with 100% certainty what else will happen. I am 99% sure that Netanyahu is going to be the next prime minister, but there are enough weird things going on to give me that minuscule 1% pause. To begin with, there are an unusually high number of undecided voters, and while they might break Bibi's way, I don't think that Bibi's base is one that is marked by indecision, unless that indecision comprises whether to continue to vote for Netanyahu or to go with the trendier rightwing choice of Naftali Bennett and Habayit Hayehudi.
Furthermore, Netanyahu's margins are going to be very tight, and this means there is an outside chance that he pulls a Livni and can't pull off putting together a viable government. I am as confident as I can possibly be that HH is going to be in the coalition, but then the coalition math becomes very tricky. It involves bringing in a centrist party such as Yesh Atid, which will clash with HH and the more extremist Likud voices over peace process issues, or going with Shas and UTJ, who are toxic to HH over the draft and toxic to Yisrael Beiteinu over both the draft and the religious-secular divide. Then there is the possibility that Aryeh Deri's return to Shas means it is no longer so reliably rightwing and will give Netanyahu a harder time when it comes to coalition bargaining.
To throw another monkey wrench into this, there are the rumblings from all sorts of quarters that the electorate has shifted in the past few days and that the leftwing and centrist parties are going to do better than their polling indicates. If voter turnout is high, it means that left and center parties are going to do better than expected, in which case there is even a possibility that Netanyahu is denied the first chance to form a government. Last month I brought up the possibility of a unity government, which started to look ridiculous in the interim but now I am not so sure that I was off-base. Then there are the rumors that were flying around last night that Ehud Barak is going to be defense minister and Tzipi Livni foreign minister, which I find to be completely far-fetched given the rancor toward Barak exhibited by all sorts of newly influential Likud members and the fact that Netanyahu would never give Livni any real power as foreign minister while Livni would never accept the position to be a mere figurehead. All of this is to say that while Bibi is almost definitely going to remain as prime minister, the possibility of a black swan would not be entirely out of the blue. As for what type of coalition he will put together assuming he remains prime minister, your guess is as good as mine. If I have to predict something, it's that we will see a nationalist bent due to the inclusion of Habayit Hayehudi, that the haredi parties are going to be left out, and that Yesh Atid will be brought in. This will allow Bibi to keep his rightwingers happy on peace process and settlements, let Yesh Atid have its pet issue of reforming the draft, and not have to worry about the secular-religious divide issue bringing down the government. I can also see Labor being brought into this mix if Netanyahu wants to have the coalition be as big as possible or if the numbers are such that he needs another party but wants to avoid bringing in Shas. Whatever happens, the next few weeks promise to be an entertaining ride.


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This is beautiful! Looking for an everyday highlighter, I have the bobbi brown bronze gold limited edition highlighter. But I don't want to use that everyday since it's limited edition! LOL but this is beautiful even though winter has arrived I cannot wait to wear this in the summer time! I am the color 9.0 in the naked foundation. Mac color matches me wrong. But this is a perfect highlighter for all skin tones!
On my nc20 skin this gives a beautiful alas over-the-top sheen. Nothing subtle about this highlighter. Color was a nice champagne shimmer I really enjoyed. I am sad to report that never achieved the glow from within look I wanted. Maybe it was lack of proper application techniques or usage of the wrong brush. Either way, I wasn't willing to put up with this product to make it work..
This product is okay.. I honestly do like this highlighter but it can make you look oily depending on how much you put on, I love putting it on my cheekbones and cuspids bow, but when I apply it to the bridge of my nose it tends to make my face look oily, but overall I like this highlighter, i just wouldn't purchase again, I'd lean more towards the becca opal highlighter.
About me: NC15, dry skin oh and I love over the top glittery highlighters!
-a little goes a long way. I have had mine for 6+ months and I still haven't hit pan. I wear it 4x/week
-lasts all day
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-very soft and buttery
-can get it at a discounted price on hautelook usually
-great for fair skin
-champagne color great for warm undertones
-breaks very easily! I dropped it once and the pan is no longer glued to the compact and part of it broke off! I would not feel comfortable traveling with this.
-cheesy packaging
-not for you if you like subtle non glittery highlighters or are pink undertoned
-not for dark complexions might be too light for you.
So this is great if you are fair, like glittery highlighters, don't mind cheesy packaging and don't plan on traveling a ton with it! This is my HG highlighter
I am not one to own multiple highlighters. Is it shiny? Is it soft and buttery and doesn't look like glitter flecks on my face? Good. That pretty much describes my standard for a highlighter.
It's vibrant and it works really well on my fair skin tone. I'd love to see a picture of someone going through the product because it contains .30 oz. which is HUGE. It also has a good-sized mirror. I am all about the dewy skin and have even worn this to work; if it was too intense or not work appropriate, no one told me about it, so I like it for that reason, too.
They might not be dupe products, but compare the per unit price ($80) to Becca's Shimmering Skin Perfector Pressed ($135) and I like the purchase even more.
This is hand down my favorite highlighter, it will forever be in my makeup bag! A little goes a long way with this it is highlighter, I get a lot of use out if so its worth every penny. It looks great on brow bones, inner eye, and cupids bow as well as highlighting other parts of my face. It gives my skin a gorgeous healthy glow. I love the Balm products they are all really good quality. The packaging and names are so fun and cute.
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Adore this product, most beautiful powder highlighter I've come across so far. Packaging is blah.
When I first got this I wasn't that impressed for some reason so I shoved it in my makeup drawer and didn't use it for months and months. I just rediscovered it and I love it! Funny how that works. I've been brushing it lightly over my brow bone, the inner corner of my eye, down my nose, and on my cheekbones. It looks amazing! Very glowy but not in a way that's too in your face like some kind of shimmer bomb. I much prefer this to other more expensive highlighters (Ahem, Becca Pressed Shimmering Skin Perfector in Opal).
One weird thing is that when I got it there was an area that was super soft like there was a pocket of air trapped in the product. It eventually started breaking up in that area but now I feel that in another area of the product.
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Love this highlighter. It's not too shimmery (provided you use a light hand) and leaves a pretty sheen on the skin. It's a gorgeous champagne colour and the product itself is so smooth. You also get a huge amount of product for the price too (I think I paid AUD$31.95 at David Jones). It also has suoer cute packaging which is a plus!
The best highlighter I have come across. Very pigmented, goes on smoothly, has a velvety texture. And there is a lot of product so you will not run out fast. TRY THIS OUT!


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Save to My Recipes
Beurre and Sel Jammers
Published: December 2012 Servings: Makes about 34
Cookie Dough
- 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1/4 cup powdered sugar, sifted
- 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 2 large egg yolks, room temperature
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
Streusel and Assembly
- 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/3 cup sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 5 1/2 tablespoons chilled unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
- 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 3/4 cup thick jam, such as lingonberry, apricot, orange marmalade, and blackberry
Special equipment
- A 2-inch cookie cutter; 3 standard 12-cup muffin tins
Nutritional Information
34 cookies, 2 cookies per serving, 1 serving contains:
- Calories (kcal) 250
- Fat (g) 14
- Saturated Fat (g) 9
- Cholesterol (mg) 60
- Carbohydrates (g) 29
- Dietary Fiber (g) 0
- Total Sugars (g) 14
- Protein (g) 2
- Sodium (mg) 90
PREPARATIONView Step-by-Step Directions
Cookie Dough
Using an electric mixer at medium speed, beat butter in a large bowl until smooth and creamy, about 3 minutes. Add both sugars and salt; beat until well blended, about 1 minute. Reduce speed to low; beat in egg yolks and vanilla. Add flour and mix just to combine. Dough will be soft and slightly sticky.
Divide dough in half. Place each half between sheets of parchment or waxed paper. Flatten dough into disks. Working with 1 disk at a time, roll out dough, occasionally lifting paper on both sides for easy rolling, until 1/4 inches thick. Freeze dough in paper until firm, at least 2 hours. DO AHEAD: Dough can be made 2 days ahead. Cover and keep frozen.
Mix flour, sugar, and salt in a small mixing bowl. Using your fingertips, rub butter and vanilla into dry ingredients until no large lumps remain and butter is well incorporated. Streusel will be sandy and hold its shape when pressed between your fingers. Cover and chill. DO AHEAD: Streusel can be made 2 days ahead. Keep chilled.
Arrange a rack in middle of oven; preheat to 350°.
Using cookie cutter, cut out rounds of frozen dough from freezer. Place rounds in bottom of muffin cups and gently pat to flatten. Continue cutting frozen dough into rounds; gather scraps and repeat process of rolling out and cutting to make 34 rounds. Cover muffin tins with foil and chill in freezer until dough is firm, about 30 minutes or up to 2 days.
Spoon about 1 teaspoon jam into the center of each round of dough. Using your fingers or a small spoon, sprinkle 1-1 1/2 tablespoons streusel around edges of each cookie, trying not to get any in the jam.
Bake cookies, in batches if needed, until sides and streusel are golden, 20-22 minutes. Let cool in tins for 15 minutes. Run a small knife around edges of muffin cups; gently remove cookies and let cool completely on a wire rack. DO AHEAD: Cookies can be baked 2 days ahead. Store airtight at room temperature .
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Advice from the Bon Appétit Test Kitchen
The Bagel Whisperer
Chef Alex Bois is churning out some of the country's best bread and bagels. We get a look inside his process
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Business in brief
Henrico resident John Testement recently developed an iPhone app that is in use internationally and has been featured on the iTunes "What's Hot" page. Available as a free download from the iTunes store, ThankYouPro combines the convenience and speed of mobile technology with the personal touch of a handwritten card by enabling users to create and mail a paper thank-you note in less than a minute. A real card is printed and mailed with a first class stamp with guaranteed mailing within 24 business hours. Users can choose from more than 20 card designs and a variety of handwriting font styles and colors. A company logo or other photo can also be used on the inside of the card, and the app allows users to handwrite their own signature on the phone. For more information, visit http://www.ThankYouPro.com .
Krispy Kreme Richmond, 4910 W. Broad St., will reopen after a 40-day interior renovation project at 6 a.m. on Wednesday, April 4. The store closed its shop to interior store sales, but continued to serve its customers via the drive-through as the 13-year old location underwent its first major remodel since opening in 1999. Guests will notice a fresher, brighter color scheme with new floors, paint and décor that highlights its popular doughnut theatre and product display case based on the designs Krispy Kreme is incorporating into all of its newly built shops. The first 100 guests on April 4 will receive a punch card good for one free dozen original glazed doughnuts each month for a year. For details, call 355-9111.
Entrust Financial Credit Union in Richmond recently was honored with a Diamond Award, which recognizes outstanding marketing and business development achievements in the credit union industry. Entrust Financial CU won the Complete Campaign category for its entry entitled "Knock Down Your High Rate." For the promotion, Entrust Financial CU offered to beat your vehicle loan rate – if they couldn't beat it, you received a $50 Visa gift card. The refinancing campaign yielded the credit union triple the amount of vehicle loans from the previous year and since then has yet to give out a gift card. The award was presented by the Credit Union National Association (CUNA) Marketing and Business Development Council, a national network comprised of nearly 1,000 credit union marketing and business development professionals. Awards are given in each of 33 categories ranging from advertising to community events and beyond.
Agents with Cushman & Wakefield Thalhimer recently handled the following lease negotiations: Deanna Cooke, Attorney at Law – leased 4,212 square feet in Highwoods Centre at 4101 Cox Rd.; Initiatives of Change – renewed its lease of 3,200 square feet at 2201 W. Broad St.; Once and Again – leased 2,700 square feet in Laburnum Square Shopping Center at 4758 Finlay St.; Metropolitan Driving School – renewed its lease of 2,320 square feet in Parham One at 827 Parham Rd.; The Natural Path Meditation Center – leased 2,000 square feet at 6010 W. Broad St.; Title Max of Virginia, Inc. – leased 2,508 square feet in Parham One at Parham/Brook Roads; Mooyah Burgers – leased 2,250 square feet in The Corner at Short Pump at W. Broad Street/Lauderdale Dr.; Randstad General Partners – leased 1,862 square feet in Colonnades West Shopping Center at 10901-10973 W. Broad St.; and Medifast Weight Control Systems – leased 1,470 square feet in The Shoppes at Westgate at 11753 W. Broad St.
Virginia Tech's Center for Public Administration and Policy-Richmond will host a graduate school information session on Tuesday, April 17 from 5:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. at the Virginia Tech Richmond Center, 2810 N. Parham Rd., Suite 300. The session will discuss the Center's two part-time, evening programs: the Master of Public Administration and the Graduate Certificate in Local Government Management. The Master of Public Administration (MPA) is a professional degree intended to train early and mid-career individuals with the skills needed for positions involving policy, management, or executive responsibilities in public and not-for-profit settings. The Graduate Certificate in Local Government Management is meant to be the first step in an ongoing process to ensure that there are master's level courses available to prepare the next generation of local government managers in the Commonwealth. A flyer for the information session is available at http://tinyurl.com/89nhkbz
Tournament supports adoption efforts
Among participants at the Seventh Annual Coordinators2Inc Golf Tournament and awards luncheon Oct. 3 were (from left) Rebecca Ricardo, C2 Inc executive director; Kevin Derr, member of the winning foursome; Sharon Richardson, C2 Inc founder; and Frank Ridgway and Jon King, members of the winning foursome.
Held at The Crossings Golf Club, the tournament will benefit placement of children from Virginia's foster care system into permanent families through Coordinators2. > Read more.
A.C. Moore to host winter craft day for kids
Event will help kick of Marine Corps' 'Toys for Tots' campaign
All 140 A.C. Moore locations will serve as drop-off centers this year for the Marine Toys for Tots Foundation, and all toys collected will stay in the local communities served by the stores in which they are donated.
On Saturday, Nov. 15, the Willow Lawn location will kick off the month-long program by hosting a "Make & Take" craft event for kids. Children ages six and older will be able to make a craft and take it home with them. Representatives from the Marines will be in-store to teach customers about the Toys for Tots program. A.C. Moore team members will be on site to help with the crafts. > Read more.
CCC seeks donations for food pantry
Citizen Staff Reports 11/12/2014
Commonwealth Catholic Charities is in desperate need of food donations for its community food pantry that serves the region's low-income families, according to officials with the Henrico-based nonprofit.
After moving into its new location this past summer, the agency has dedicated a larger space for the pantry but the shelves are practically empty.
"As we head into the holidays and the weather turns colder, the need for food becomes even more critical, but unfortunately our cupboards are nearly bare," said Jay Brown, the agency's director for the division of housing services. "Donations of food will allow us help provide." > Read more.
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Restaurant watch
Find out how your favorite dining establishments fared during their most recent inspections by the Virginia Department of Health. > Read more.
'Sizing Up!' opens at Cultural Arts Center
The Cultural Arts Center unveils a new exhibit – "Sizing Up!" – Nov. 20-Jan. 18 in the Gumenick Family Gallery.
Artist Chuck Larivey has spent the past three years "sizing up" – creating large-scale oil paintings that are designed to engage their viewers in a monumental way by using size to captivate them and make them a part of the artistic experience.
The exhibit is appropriate for all ages and is free and open to the public at the center, located at 2880 Mountain Road in Glen Allen. > Read more.
Weekend Top 10
Are you still looking for some unique holiday gifts? There are hundreds of great options your family and friends will love at the Holly Spree on Stuart Avenue, Vintage Holiday Show and New Bridge Academy's annual Christmas Bazaar. Shopping can be stressful so some relaxing activities can be found in Henrico this weekend as well, including "Richmond's Finest" at The Cultural Arts Center at Glen Allen, the "Nutcracker Sweet" at Moody Middle School and a jazz concert at the Henrico Theatre. For all our top picks this weekend, click here! > Read more.
Steward School gives interim head of school permanent title
Four Henrico firefighters earn Valor Awards
Business in brief
Tribal rhythm
Free Agents Marketing wins IMPACT award
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Nov. 20, 2014Click here to read the print edition.
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A 'Life' well lived
Weekend Top 10
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Obituary – John W. Wimble
Obituary – Sandra Stone Gillum
Obituary – Vivian Eleanor Muldoon
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Tournament supports adoption efforts
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CCC seeks donations for food pantry
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Richmond Strikers form girls lacrosse program
Virginia fisherman wins James River event in Henrico
Hermitage to host Monday night football events
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ClassifiedsATTENTION DIABETICS with Medicare. Get a FREE talking meter and diabetic testing supplies at NO COST, plus FREE home delivery! Best of all, this meter eliminates painful finger pricking! Call… Full text
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CalendarHenricus Historical Park will hold "Virginia's Thanksgiving Feast and Prayer" from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Visitors are invited to learn about the real meaning of Thanksgiving, which was recognized… Full text


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Oxford Originals, an anthology of writing from Lady Margaret Hall 1879-2001
The Life of JMW Turner - Founded on Letters and Papers Furnished By his Friends and Fellow Academicians
Memoirs of the reign of King George III by Horace Walpole Hardback 4 vols ed Derek Jarrett pub Yale UP
Beauty for Ashes: selected prose and related documents
Empty Cradles (The book that was the basis for " Oranges and Sunshine ") - first edition / Margaret Humphreys
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Cornish Characters and Strange Events
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On Dec. 12, WABA members filled up the Bier Baron in Dupont for a holiday celebration. Our yearly holiday party is a great way for our members to mingle with each other, and we loved welcoming new and old supporters alike. Your membership dollars directly support our advocacy, education, and outreach efforts. If you aren't a member, join today!
Some photos from the holiday party made their way to Flickr. Did you take photos at the WABA holiday party? Add them to our Flickr group!


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MJM Magic is no doubt the NUMBER 1 online magic store. I would definitely recommend anyone who is into magic to shop here. Thanks for the super fast...Read More ->
I shopped from some other site before that was a bit expensive, This site is cheaper have a variety of products and all the things that I could get...Read More ->


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LIMA — Viola E. "Betty" Sargent, 92, died July 9, 2011, at Shawnee Manor Nursing Home in Lima.
She was born Jan. 23, 1919, in Mansfield to Forest and Margaret Mary Whittle Daugherty. On March 5, 1938, she married Charles E. Sargent, who died Dec. 23, 1973. Betty and Charles moved to a small dairy and chicken farm west of Batemantown. She also worked at Mazza's Restaurant in Mount Vernon.
Survivors include four sons, Jack M. (Debra) Sargent of Denver, James C. (Judy) Sargent of Columbus, Jeffrey R. (Vickie) Sargent of Fredericktown and John R. (Jeanne) Sargent of Fort Worth, Texas; three daughters, Patricia A. (Charles) Mooney of Lima, Marlene Sue (Gary) Cline of Sunbury and Margaret Pegg Sargent of Lima; 18 grandchildren; 31 great-grandchildren; and seven great-great-grandchildren.
She was preceded in death by her parents; son, Jay F. Sargent; brother, James Daugherty; and sister, Margaret Mary Stevens.
Memorial service will be Friday, July 29, at noon in Forest Cemetery, Fredericktown. Condolences may be expressed at http://www.chileslamanfh.com.
Submitted by Jeffrey Sargent.


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Another Sunday morning, another chance to celebrate the winner of a local writing competition and invite readers to a local publication celebration, on May Day, at UC Irvine. Gold Line Press seems to be a project of another area school, USC, and the judge of its 2012 Competition in Fiction was Dana ... More >>
I especially like the title of a 12:30 panel at next weekend's two-day annual Los Angeles Times Festival of Books for its helpful reminder and either existential celebration or complaint. "You are Here: Perspectives on Life in Southern California," featuring Times columnists suggests tha ... More >>
At 28, Sarah Polley begins the next chapter of her careeras usual, on her own terms
Books that beat back the Bush blues
You think your jobs tough? Try being the Ty-D-Bowl Man for Huntington Beach


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It looks as though Cloward Piven is on the move in England too.
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Actually, #1, the Cloward-Piven strategy opponents are on the move in the UK. The successive Blair and Brown Labour governments were responsible for opening the door to immigrants as wide as it would go and, indeed, the British health and social services systems are at breaking point.The current Conservative-Liberal Democrat coalition government, led by Conservative Prime Minister David Cameron, is taking steps to undo the damage.
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The Real Housewives of Atlanta Recap: Stallion vs. Donkeyby Nosy Neighbor at . Comments
The Real Housewives of Atlanta heats up with the "Battle of the Booty" and honestly I don't think anyone really wants their to look like a donkey or a horse. We recap all the crazy copycatting in our THG +/- review.
The story of the Stallion versus the Donkey starts off at the International Hair show where I have to say, Ms. Cynthia looks amazing in that killer red dress. Plus 15.
At least someone looked good because most of the hair we saw looked somewhere between ridiculous to hideous. Minus 9. I can't imagine how she judged any of it.
Since when have Cynthia and Kenya gotten so buddy buddy? I knew they weren't at one another's throats any longer but does that really mean Cynthia's giving the former Miss USA shout outs at public events? Minus 17. That's quite the turnaround.
That's when Kenya tells Cynthia that since Phaedra didn't want to pay her for that distribution deal, she'll use it for herself.
And the Stallion Booty is born. Plus 21. I have to agree with NeNe on this one when she says, "I don't see anyone wanting to walk around with a donkey ass."
Of course is a horse's ass really much better? They're both about the same, don't you think? Big and wide.
It doesn't take long for Kandi to find out and spill to beans to Phaedra. Kandi wants to know if she needs to be worried about her own product line. Will there be a Kenya Koated Nights in the future? Some Bedroom Kenya? Plus 10.
Before Phaedra confronts Kenya, she makes sure the world hears her side of the story…and it's not always pretty.
Cynthia's right, accusing someone of having bi-polar disorder is not cool…although given Kenya's behavior it wouldn't surprise me if she might be right.
Phaedra heads off to grab her own producers to get the donkey moving and hires a team that's worked with Jane Fonda and Madonna. Plus 8.
She says she's happy to know her producers "are not going to chug down a liter of vodka, twirl around in a circle, scream obscenities, and run out of the room." Don't forget the Gone With the Wind impersonation.
The lines are drawn as NeNe takes a moment away from her glam baby Bri'Asia (who really is too darn cute for words, Plus 20), and weighs in on the Kenya/Phaedra feud saying Ms. Parks does a lot of stuff "shady and undercover."
When Apollo and Phaedra confront Kenya about being a copycatter, Ms. Moore snaps back with "I'll be copyatting all the way to the bank." Plus 11. I have no doubt she'll try.
We'll see which creature makes it to a screen near you first.
Episode total = +59! Season total = -83!
But is Kenya's wide enough for Walter?
Kenya's donkey ass vs Walter's stallion ass.
Kenya is a piece of work omg. She was fake from day 1 everything about her from walter on down. Walter did a interview telling the truth bout he and kenya. There was never a relationship it was for the show. She don't own that house she's renting. O and that song R U SERIOUS!!! Kenya needs medical attention ASAP she's more than bipolar. I luv Nene do the damn thing. Kandi I luv her to since exscape she been doing the damn thing, and writing songs. Last season she wrote and did Tardy for the party and a country song just to name a couple. As for porche she's just a air head she don't have a clue poor thing. Phedra watever she's a snake n the grass very tooth faced not a friend at all. Cynthia well she seems like she the punk of all she never confronts or deals wit stuff til she is forced to do so dummy. Welp that sums it up for me til next Sunday good night all.
That Kenya is as crazy as hell. If i was on housewives of atl i would have checked that crazy bitch a long time ago. I do not blame Walter for not wanting to marry that bitch. If Kenya thinks she looks like B she really is bypolar. NeNee is doing the damn thing. You go girl. Tell your haters to keep hating.
You are absolutely correct, when you say "I don't think anyone really wants to look like a donkey or a horse." I watched this episode with my DISH co-worker, and we both agree Kenya is the most interesting housewife to watch and we can't wait to see what she does next. Unfortunately, Sunday nights in my home is a battle for the television, as my husband likes to watch his favorite sports the same night. Lucky for us, we have a DISH Hopper Whole-Home HD DVR that allows us to watch 4 different HD programs on separate TVs at the same time; this has finally put an end to our arguments over the television.
I love me some nee nee.
An as for kandi trouble making ass that's probably why she haven't wrote that much more music an if she can agree with what pheadra is doin then she anything she should have stayed out of it.being as though she didn't I look at her whole overall as being a person that thinks the same way pheadra did as if somebody does anything free...
Well all I have to say is pheadra gets what she deserves cause her donkey booty ass as she say is not worth anything free as for her being in the business she in she no that..
I thought RHA had scraped the bottom of the barrel with Marlo last season, but Kenya makes Marlo look like a class act. What a delusional piece of trash! And Cynthia's passive-aggressiveness is really getting on my nerves. She needs to let her inner bitch shine through instead of pretending she's nice when she's not.
RHONJ is better cant wait till it comes back