Media-Whore D'Oevres



"Representative Vito J. Fossella, a Staten Island Republican who was arrested on May 1 in Alexandria, Va., and charged with drunken driving, issued a statement on Thursday acknowledging that he had had an extramarital affair with Laura Fay, a former Air Force lieutenant colonel, and that the two of them had a 3-year-old daughter together. The prospect that Mr. Fossella could face a mandatory jail sentence if convicted of drunken driving has already threatened to bring to an end his decade-long career in the House, where Mr. Fossella is the only Republican representing New York City." (NYTimes)

"The twenty year conflict in the north of Uganda between the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) and the Ugandan government almost ended recently. The tragedy is in the word 'almost.' Joseph Kony, the mysterious and brutal leader of the Lord's Resistance Army (image above), failed to attend a treaty signing with the Museveni government last month at Ri-Kwangba in the south Sudan near the remote Democratic Republic of Congo border that would have seen the end of a brutal civil war that has displaced tens of thousands of and killed millions of Ugandans. 'Ugandan religious and cultural leaders ... ventured into the bush in an attempt to find him,' according to The Guardian. Kony, however, was nowhere to be found." (Ron Mwangaguhunga/AWEARNESS Blog)



"Mr. Chow didn't just serve beef skewers, vegetable dumplings, and spring rolls last night. Peter M. Brant and Stephanie Seymour hosted a not-so-little cocktail at the famed restaurant. They invited the boldest names in the fashion and art worlds to formally celebrate the appointment of company's newest employees: Fabien Baron and Glenn O'Brien, co-editorial directors, newly minted editor-in-chief Chris Bollen, Betsy Pochodo, Antiques' new editor, and Brant Publications' new publisher, Alan Katz ... As art giants like Tom Sachs, Simon de Pury, Mary Boone, Jeff Koons, Tony Shafrazi toasted their fashion counterparts Zac Posen, Francisco Costa, Michael Kors, Nicole Miller, Phillip Lim, and Richard Chai, Seymour was delighted. 'This is something that we wished, dreamed and hoped would happen for a long time,' gushed the supermodel." (Fashionweekdaily)

"Less than 24 hours after walking the red carpet with pal Kate Moss at the Costume Institute gala on Monday night, Stella McCartney was on the opposite side of the country, hosting a cocktail and special screening of the Peter Sellers classic The Party at her West Hollywood boutique. The Tuesday-night garden party brought out a crowd that included Nicole Richie, Christian Louboutin, China Chow, Frankie Rayder, and Amber Valletta. 'It's great to be back in L.A.,' said McCartney. 'I never have to pack much, because luckily I have the store.' The consummate hostess made sure her tables were stocked with every treat imaginable, from Mentos to Marlboros, the latter courtesy of an old-fashioned cigarette girl." (Style)

"No one thinks that Obama, in his heart, wants Clinton on his ticket. And he certainly doesn’t want her and her husband in his administration, pursuing their own agendas and threatening to overshadow and undermine him every step of the way. The question, though, is whether he can take a pass on her for VP without severely complicating his general-election chances. For several reasons, the answer is yes." (Observer)



"There seems to be an easy familiarity between Joss Stone and Prince Harry, demonstrated by the rather enthusiastic hug the pair shared at an event to celebrate Britain's armed forces last night. The pair, last seen together at the memorial concert for Princess Diana last July, hugged warmly, and chatted together at the open-air extravaganza in London last night ... Joss, who wore a slinky black dress, with her red coloured locks freely flowing, greeted both prince William and Harry like old friends, hugging them enthusiastically, and chatting animatedly." (Thisislondon)

"In the evening, the caravan moved on to the new five-star Hotel de Rome for Gallery Weekend’s opening reception, sponsored by Axa Art ... Many of us reconvened at 1 PM the next day for a Felliniesque event: the laying of the cornerstone for an avant-garde condo building at Rosa-Luxemburg-Platz, designed by architect Roger Bundschuh in cooperation with artist Cosima von Bonin, that will be inhabited mostly by art-world players like Munich collector Peter Wiese and Chinese artist Zhao Gang. Sunglasses were needed, perhaps because, in the bright sunlight, the guests’ morning-after faces looked just a bit too real." (ArtForum)

"China is well known for its global cyber espionage efforts. And while the United States has received most of the media attention given to cyber attacks, we are not the only ones dealing with this issue. India is now pointing the finger at China, claiming they have systematically launched a series of attacks on sensitive information systems and networks of Indian agencies. India rapidly responded and now has cyber-security forces down to the division-level to guard against cyber wars. But is that really enough given China's stated ambitions? China's Cyber Warfare Doctrine is designed to achieve global "electronic dominance" by 2050 which would include the capability of disruption of the information infrastructure of their enemies." (DefenseTech)

"Yesterday in New York, a warm and sunny day in May, the Women’s Committee of the Central Park Conservancy held its 26th Annual Frederick Law Olmsted Awards Luncheon in the Conservatory Garden behind the Vanderbilt gates in the Park at 104th Street and Fifth Avenue. This is the now famous annual 'hat luncheon' where approximately 80% of the 1000 women attending put on their millinery finest and parade like the old days of Easter... This year the event brought it more than $2.4 million. They honored Nancy Paduano, the President of the Women’s Committee from 2005 to 2007. She led an initiative raising $2 million to restore the eight decorative cast-iron urns at Bow Bridge. She and her husband Dan also funded the restoration of the Osborn Gates." (NYSocialdiary)