Media-Whore D'Oeuvres

"The best argument for returning to the pre-1967 borders is that Israel was more capable of fighting well on these borders. The war of independence, the 1956 war and the 1967 war all went far better than any of the wars that came after. Most important, if Israel is incapable of generating a national defense industry that can provide all the necessary munitions and equipment without having to depend on its allies, then it has no choice but to consider what its allies want. With the pre-1967 borders there is a greater chance of maintaining critical alliances. More to the point, the pre-1967 borders require a smaller industrial base because they do not require troops for occupation and they improve Israel’s ability to conduct conventional operations in a time of crisis. There is a strong case to be made for not returning to the 1949 lines, but it is difficult to make that case from a military point of view." (STRATFOR)

"I'm only doing this because I love Jane magazine, and I loved Sassy before that, and obviously, I just love Jane. I'm really glad that she's returned to us. I kind of want to slam Jezebel, but I won't. I'll save it. Because otherwise the Gawker people will torture me for the next two weeks. Because Jezebel I used to read, but then they do slut shaming. Jane is anti-shame. Pro-slut. I'm not going to lie, yes, my life is pretty much in chaos right now. And that's exactly why it's a perfect time to write a column for my friend. Here. For you. Every week or so. Ish. It's a test of sorts. Can I do it? I'm in Istanbul right now, and before I left, I didn't even know where Istanbul was. I'd never even seen a picture of Istanbul. And Michael Stipe -- who called me from Istanbul before I left -- said this Istancool festival we're involved with is kind of a five-star summer camp. He said that Tilda Swinton took him by the hand and said, 'This is how I've always dreamed it would be.' And they're looking at crazy ruins." (Courtney Love)

"Translated, what Browne’s saying is that when a 44-year-old housekeeper at The Pierre Hotel says 74-year-old Egyptian banker Mahmoud Abdel-Salam Omar asked for someone to bring some tissues to his room on Sunday, then closed the door and started to grope her before she gave him a fake phone number and got away, the cops believed her. That’s why they arrested Omar on Monday on charges of sexual abuse, unlawful imprisonment, forcible touching and harassment. Omar is expected to appear in court and enter a plea later today. It’s just a little over two weeks ago that Deputy Commissioner for Public Information Browne made the same statement about 'experienced detectives' after a 32-year-old African-immigrant maid at the luxury Sofitel Hotel in midtown Manhattan claimed on the afternoon of May 14 that the possible next president of France ran at her naked, grabbed her, groped her, and forced her to perform oral sex. On her word, the NYPD pulled the managing director of the International Monetary Fund, Dominique Strauss-Kahn, off a plane at JFK airport. They accused him of criminal sexual assault, attempted rape, and unlawful imprisonment. Strauss-Kahn firmly denied these and related charges, but just days later he resigned from the IMF. His presidential hopes in France are finished. Why were the detectives of the NYPD Special Victims Division—the cops who specialize in sex crimes, child abuse, and hate crimes—so quick to believe the maids’ stories? They are prohibited from talking about the specifics of the cases, which are still under investigation. And when it comes to Strauss-Kahn, certainly, a number of questions remain unanswered. He wasn’t in New York on IMF business, so why did he come to town? “We still do not know why he was here, and we really would like to know,” says Lt. Adam Lamboy, commander of the Manhattan Special Victims Squad, the unit handling the case. Other sources say Strauss-Kahn spent part of the evening before his arrest with a slender blonde. On that, no comment from the detectives." (TheDailyBeast)

"El Museo del Barrio held its annual Gala this past Thursday at Cipriani 42nd Street, and honored fashion photographer Mario Testino with a lifetime artistic achievement award celebrating his 30-year career. 600 attended and they raised $1,000,000 for the Museum. The glamorous fundraising benefiting New York’s leading Latino museum was chaired by Yaz and Valentín Hernández with Alex González and Raúl Martínez.... Grace Coddington was there with her flaming tresses pulled back from her beautiful face. Ms. Coddington’s fashion is basic integrity. Her colleague, Ms. Wintour, fashion’s ultimate salesforce to the masses, was dressed for a chic summer night in New York, looking glamorous and certain. Hollywood actresses today, while beautiful, or shapely or sexy or sweet, do not have Ms. Wintour’s glamour or certainty. Nor Ms. Coddington’s integrity. But then, they’re movie stars, so who needs it? Kate Winslet, simply stellar in her presence, presented El Museo’s lifetime achievement award to Mr. Testino, and gave a charming speech proclaiming the friendship of the photographer with his subjects.  ... Guests danced to music provided by DJ Alexandra Richards, daughter of Keith, and the band Spam Allstars, which blended improvisational electronic elements and turntables with latin, funk, hip hop, and dub" (NYSocialDiary)

"Short and slight, with an off-kilter smile and wide anime eyes, Shannan Gilbert had drifted into escort work when she was about 20 as a way to earn money while trying to make it as a singer. That night at Oak Beach, she was wearing a blonde wig, a pair of dangly hoop earrings, a brown leather jacket, and jeans. On nights like this, she’d tell her boyfriend she was going out on auditions. The oldest of Mari Gilbert’s four daughters, Shannan finished high school in New Paltz at age 16. 'She wasn’t street-smart, but she was book-smart,' Mari says. Shannan had been diagnosed with bipolar disorder but stopped taking her medication, complaining that it gave her the shakes. After graduating, she worked at a hotel, an Applebee’s, and a senior center, but by 2007, she had moved to New Jersey with a boyfriend and signed on with an escort agency. She had at least one arrest in her record, having been rounded up with some other girls from Upper Saddle River, and one time was beaten to the point where she needed a titanium plate in her jaw. Two years ago, she started posting ads for herself on Craigs­list, where she could charge $200 an hour and keep two thirds of the fee; the other third went to a driver, who would take her to dates and provide security. Shannan liked to party—mostly pot, coke, and prescription drugs—but if she managed to make it through the night without burning through too much of what she earned, she could get home after five calls with $600 or more in her pocket. The extra money had allowed Shannan to move into a place of her own for the first time, in Jersey City, and she was close to completing a series of online college classes that might have helped her stop escorting. But she liked to visit her family, take her sisters on shopping sprees, and lavish gifts on her nieces and nephews. Mari, who works at a Wal-Mart, knew where the money was coming from and searched for a way to talk about it with her daughter. 'I tried to tell her Don’t do it. Stop. Move back in with me,' Mari says. But Shannan refused. 'Mom' she would say, 'I hardly have to do nothing, and I get thousands of dollars.'” (NYMag)