Media-Whore D'Oeuvres

"The Olympics have left in their wake a glut of sports metaphors and even a few diplomatic spats, but the games themselves are over. The athletes are heading home - in fact, many left before the closing ceremonies last Sunday night. Some will receive heroes' welcomes, others, less so. Where are the best and worst places to go home to as an international athlete? ... The Worst Countries:  ...North Korea: We might not know what happens to North Korea's non-medalists, but we hope the country's one win-two loss record women's soccer team (a 9th place finish) doesn't share the fate of the 2010 DPRK World Cup team. After dropping out in three straight losses, the World Cup team was publicly humiliated in a six-hour-long staged berating, in which players were told they had personally disappointed Kim Jong-Un (then still heir apparent to Kim Jong-Il). Players then had to individually criticize the team's manager, who may have then been sent to a labor camp. Other athletes who have disappointed the Dear Leader are rumored to be sent directly to camps upon their return without the public fanfare." (ForeignPolicy)

"On a cool evening in March, Imran Khan, followed by his dogs, walked around the extensive lawns of his estate, sniffling with an incipient cold. 'My ex-wife, Jemima, designed the house — it is really paradise for me,' Khan said of the villa, which sprawls on a ridge overlooking Himalayan foothills and Pakistan’s capital, Islamabad. 'My greatest regret is that she is not here to enjoy it,' he added, unexpectedly poignantly ... Those adept at playing Pakistan’s never-ending game of political musical chairs have begun to take note of Khan ... Khan’s campaign strategy is simple: he has promised to uproot corruption within 90 days, end the country’s involvement in America’s war on terror and institute an Islamic welfare state. His quest for a moral Pakistani state and a righteous politics is clearly informed by his own private journey. Famous in the 1980s as a glamorous cricketer, he is at pains to affirm his Islamic identity in his new autobiography, 'Pakistan: A Personal History.' A rising politician’s careful self-presentation, the book fails to mention his friendship with Mick Jagger, his frequenting of London’s nightclubs in the 1980s and other instances of presumably un-Islamic deportment, like the series of attractive women with whom he was linked by racy British tabloids. It does devote one chapter to Jemima Goldsmith, the daughter of a wealthy British businessman, Jimmy Goldsmith, whom he married in 1995 — he was 43, she was 21 — but this serves largely as a backdrop for his early, self-sacrificing immersion in politics." (NYTimes)

"Thursday morning I went over to Roosevelt Island to join Tobie (Mrs. Franklin Dr. Jr.) Roosevelt to see the almost finished Franklin D. Roosevelt Four Freedoms Park which will officially be completed and open to the public on October 17th. The building of this great memorial of our 32nd President has largely been an effort spearheaded by William vanden Heuvel who can take credit for his indefatigable fund-raising to make it a reality ($54 million raised and needed at last count). Mr. vanden Heuvel, a courtly, soft-spoken yet deliberate advocate of Mr. Roosevelt’s freedoms, has been a familiar figure on the civic and national scene for several decades now. A gentle gentleman, a New York attorney and author, an assistant to US Attorney General Robert Kennedy during the Kennedy and Johnson Administrations, an early protégé of William ('Wild Bill') Donovan, founder of the OSS which predated the CIA; a member of the Council on Foreign Relations, Deputy Ambassador to the UN under Jimmy Carter, as well as an activist in many causes affecting judicial reform and human rights, he is Founder and Chairman Emeritus of the Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt Institute." (NYSocialDiary)

"It was raining on 18th Street, but inside Barneys Co-Op last night, it was a full-on summer bash, complete with mini Coronas, ice pops, and a performance by Tanlines—all in honor of Prabal Gurung's inaugural collection for ICB. According to the designer, the approachably priced collection was inspired by working girls who know how to have fun with fashion. 'It started off with the idea of how the superstars of the industry, who get photographed by the likes of Tommy Ton, are celebrated,' said the designer. There were plenty of chic working girls (and chic girls working it) at the event, particularly its hosts, Hannah Bronfman, Elin Kling, and Leandra Medine. "I love the silhouettes and the prints are great,' said Bronfman. 'Prabal always manages to spice it up while keeping it feminine.' Man Repeller's Medine agreed: 'Prabal really knows how to accentuate and celebrate the female body.' Hanne Gaby Odiele, dancing to the Tanlines' live tunes, said, 'I really like the collection's psychedelic feel.' The catwalker is sure to have her own tan lines soon, as she's escaping to Hawaii for a week's vacation. 'I'm not even thinking about fashion week,' she laughed. 'I'm just going to be swimming, snorkeling, and chilling.'" (Style)