Media-Whore D'oeuvres

"There are many memorable lines in Henry Crumpton's new book The Art of Intelligence. Here are some of them: --"I never met a North Korean diplomat who did not want porn, either for personal use or resale." --His take on working with the FBI: "This was a tribe that valued oral stories and history. I came from a tribe that treasured the written intelligence report." --Another difference between the FBI and the CIA was size: "The FBI's New York field officer had more agents than the CIA had operations officers -- for the entire planet." -On British intelligence: "The British were good, but not as good as they thought or acted. One issue was their failure to realize the growing radical threat within their own borders." --His reaction to the insistence of Deputy Defense Secretary Paul Wolfowitz's that the 9/11 attacks had to have been sponsored by a state, and probably by Iraq: "What is he smoking?" (ForeignPolicy)

"Down at Michael’s, the city’s roar was slightly subdued (chilled might be another word) – but only slightly. Nevertheless, it was a classic Wednesday, and when you read through, you can catch the drift of the clientele that defines this chic and art-filled den of conjurers, dramatists, coin-gatherers and ego-respiring hawkers of The Word. Michael McCarty, the proprietor, is one of the original California cuisine chef/ restaurateurs in post-Fifties America. So the quality of his menu is foremost. He’s also a personality who extends his hand to as many guests as possible, greeting them like an ebullient good will ambassador. He’s the CEO around the place. He’s seconded by his equally personable and out-going General Manager Steve Millington. The hospitality is informal, but the place is run impeccably. The waitstaff, the busboys, bartenders and the breakfast and lunch time receptionists, Joanna and Loreal are your friend at the restaurant: pleasant and helpful. Each guest is welcome, and the mission is to accommodate. That’s a big draw, even for the high mucky-mucks who come through those doors." (NYSocialDiary)

"On the west side of Crosby Street in Soho, the new Superga shop—lined floor to just about ceiling with the Italian-made plimsolls in every color of the rainbow, plus a few not glimpsed therein—threw open its doors for the first time. Across the street, the entrance of the Crosby Street Hotel was more tightly guarded. The reason: Superga's creative directors, Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen, were in the house, celebrating the new shop surrounded by Steve Madden, Superga's distributor in the States, and a slew of friends ... Uptown at Lincoln Center's Alice Tully Hall, Lauren Bush Lauren was fêting five years of her ground-breaking FEED Projects with a Million Meals concert sponsored by Clarins. "You all came," Lauren said, looking out on the audience, where Jason Wu, Joseph Altuzarra, Donna Karan, and Cynthia Rowley were helping her raise money for over a million school meals for underprivileged children across the globe." (Style)