Media-Whore D'Oeuvres



"Administration officials present the package as an 'intensification' of existing diplomacy, but that is slightly disingenuous. After long, and reportedly heated, arguments inside the White House over the proper balance between carrot and stick, officials have produced a document that is highly specific about inducements and carefully vague about threats. Despite veiled references to 'accountability,' the statement is silent on the ICC indictments. And after much discussion over whether it's acceptable, or effective, to address the North-South conflict separately from Darfur, the administration plan will allow Khartoum to profit from compliance on North-South issues, though Bashir wins the jackpot only for restoring peace to Darfur. Some, though not all, members of the advocacy community are appalled at the decision to, quite literally, let the regime get away with murder. John Norris, a Sudan expert at the Center for American Progress and former head of the Enough Project, calls the package 'unseemly.' Norris points out that in 2005 Western diplomats made a calculated decision to bless the North-South peace agreement even as the regime perpetrated mass slaughter in Darfur. Indeed, from the very beginnings of the killings in Darfur, in 2003, Bashir responded to pressure from the West by threatening to scuttle negotiations over ending the civil war." (ForeignPolicy)



"I was invited to a Christian Dior party in Paris, and I got drugged there. It was a big party on Avenue Montaigne, and there were a lot of people. I thought, 'Oh my gosh, John Galliano is going to see me.' It was a small bar, really crowded and the line was like ten miles long. So some guy just handed me a bottle of champagne. I drank some and he disappeared. Soon after I felt really sick and had to run for the door. I ran out into Avenue Montaigne and cars were coming at me, but all I could see were flashing lights. I just knew I needed to get into a cab and out of there. Luckily someone who was working the door pulled me onto the sidewalk." (Gawker)



"Black Milk celebrated Album of The Year (stream it) with a headlining show at a packed out Southpaw on Tuesday (9/14). In addition to a Besides a bouncy and big-bang performance from Black Milk (one of the few hip hoppers that understands the art of the live show), there was a killer lineup of supporting characters that included the pure hilarity/unstoppable rhymes of Sean Price, a super energetic Elzhi, Guilty Simpson, and a surprise appearance from Roc Marciano (his first since the release of his incredible LP Marcberg on Fat Beats in April)." (BrooklynVegan)



"As Kyrgyzstan descended into chaos after President Kurmanbek Bakiyev was ousted in April 2010, most observers were focused on the fate of the key U.S. airbase there. They feared that Moscow had orchestrated the unrest as revenge for Bakiyev reneging on his alleged promise to shut down the base and would now demand that the new government follow through on that pledge. But instead of indulging in geopolitical gamesmanship as usual, Russia and the United States actually worked together, pursuing back-channel talks that facilitated Bakiyev's safe escape into exile. Periodic consultations since April have thus far managed to prevent conflict between the Cold War adversaries in the one country where both have military outposts. This marked a tectonic shift in the geopolitics of Eurasia. For the first time in over a decade, what Russia calls its 'near abroad' was a locus of cooperation, not confrontation, between Russia and the United States. This shift has opened a window of opportunity to fundamentally rethink U.S. foreign policy in Eurasia -- a term used here to refer to the countries of the greater Black Sea region and Central Asia -- a strategically situated area with massive natural resource wealth and great economic potential." (ForeignAffairs)



"Fashion keeps many bedfellows, and on Thursday night at parties that ranged from the intimate to the excessive, designers mingled with artists and athletes — rappers, hoops stars, rockers, boxers and even an Olympic ice skater. As a storm galloped across the city, it seemed that Cynthia Rowley’s poolside party at her home in honor of the performance artist Nick Cave’s eight-page spread in Vogue magazine was a wash. But the party just moved indoors. The only people around her sapphire backyard pool on Perry Street in the West Village were a pair of bongo players who patted out a beat (under an umbrella) to a projection of Mr. Cave flouncing and dancing, like a costumed monster from 'Where the Wild Things Are.' There were few fashion-worlders at Ms. Rowley’s town house, where her children Kit, 11, and Gigi, 5, ran among the guests. True to her roots as a graduate of the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, where she had met Mr. Cave, the guests were sculptors, photographers and painters like Will Cotton, who painted Katy Perry’s portrait for her 'American Dream' album. Ms. Rowley had originally set out to be an artist, but 'I thought it would be easier to make a living if I did fashion,' she said. 'Ha.'" (NYTimes)



"Nelson Mandela's wife Graca Machel will be the keynote speaker at the Important Dinner for Women on Monday at the Mandarin Oriental, hosted by Queen Rania al Abdullah, Wendi Murdoch and Indra Nooyi. Guests will include African first ladies Ida Odinga of Kenya and Chantal Biya of Cameroon, Britain's former first lady Sarah Brown, Diane von Furstenberg, Barbara Walters, Diana Taylor, Tyra Banks, Tina Brown and Ivanka Trump." (PageSix)



"After a furious eight Fashion Week days, those who could summon the energy to party headed to Meatpacking last night for the final bashes. First up, ARC’s Lorenzo Martone and Ryan Brown helped put together Gwen Stefani’s after party for L.A.M.B which played out like a colossal gallery show thanks to Thierry Guetta, aka Mr. Brainwash. 'I’ve been taking a lot of pictures with my camera tonight,' said Stefani. 'It’s just so cool. Anywhere you look, is like a brilliant background' ...
A few blocks away, Evan Lysacek, Vera Wang, Baz Luhrmann, Lennox Lewis, Graziano DiBoni, and a very tall Danilo Gallinari were just a few of the eclectic assortment of A-listers who came out for the Dom Pérignon party at the new Villa Pacri restaurant. Champagne naturally flowed, and the space was decorated with all sorts of Warhol themed memorabilia: Brillo boxes, Campbell soups, and Polaroid cameras galore. Courtney Love settled in to a back table, a spot which she occupied until the wee hours of the morning. 'It’s just nice to end Fashion Week with good bubbly and good company,' she smiled." (Fashionweekdaily)



"That rehabbed rocker Courtney Love will perform next Saturday at the New York Recovery Rally on Randalls Island, a day of festivities to celebrate sobriety." (PageSix)



"I recently had a delightful evening out on the town with a friend of mine. Things got a little out of hand and both of us drank a small amount of a female bartender’s urine. I would say it was about one ounce each. We were pretty drunk, and I’m not quite sure what led up to it. I think I was trying to prove something. I think we were trying to show how 'badass' we were. It sounds really goddamn stupid when I type it out. The urine was clear and it had little taste, but now I am concerned about the health risks." (SavageLove)