Michael Wolff on RFK, Jr | "When you smoke crack, you burn your vocal chords." https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GXTxVsCMkFE

My Tumblr

Check out http://ronmwangaguhunga.tumblr.com for the latest posts.

President Obama on The Daily Show

Trevor Noah interviews President Obama

Naomi Andree Campbell's The Consonant of Noise

Walking into Naomi Andree Campbell's intense and thoughtful installation The Consonant of Noise on ISCP's first floor the initial feeling is one of "Cave," especially because there are no windows in the space, no intrusions from the outside world. A cave has many connotations: a symbol of Nature, of the earth; a mythic, or liminal-prehistorical space; a reference to the Platonic allegory of ignorance.

When asked directly about certain aspects of the installation mean, the artist is mum. She prefers to create questions rather than give definitive answers. In her artistic statement Campbell announces:

"I am always looking for something more to be said, something that points to dialogue and questions where we are."

And the question here is, roughly, should we genetically modify food?

The subject of the piece is the intersection of Science and Art in the form of the global food crisis -- Agriculture and Humanitarianism, where they actually meet, how they inform one another. Divining the meaning is not easy and probably not meant to be definitive. And yet, despite the complexity of the work, the music, the muted gradations of shadow all conspire to put the observer at peace. Stained glass and metal sculptures spring forth from the ground like cornstalks in a field, albeit corn stalks that call to mind DNA structures. Materials organic (actual corn kernels, glass) and materials inorganic (x-rays) express in their curious interplay the fraught relationship between Science and Art.

My initial impression of "Cave," it turns out, was instinctively correct: the entire room, bathed in blue electronic light and shadow overlaid with ambient music, is an allegory of Plato's allegorical cave.

Is the GMO humanitarian narrative blind -- or at least shortsighted? Is technology Platonically virtuous? Can technology even be Platonically virtuous? Are GMO opponents merely a part of a necessary equation involving GMO enthusiasts?

There are no easy answers. This work though equally partaking in the forms of both Science and Art evokes many serious questions. Therein, perhaps in that particular engagement, between artist and participant, lies the meaning?

Naomi Andree Campbell is next exhibiting in Puerto Rico from February through March at the Peligro Amarillo in San Juan.

John McLaughlin, RIP

 Yes, yes, I know, Holy political purist: The McLaughlin Group could be indirectly blamed for the coarsening of American political dialogue (Averted Gaze). John McLaughlin was almost certainly a provocateur, prodding his subservient panel to heated argument and controversial statements. But I for one never really took the man or the show for that that seriously, so that's why maybe I am not so hot-around-the-collar over the death of the host of the McLaughlin Group.

And how could you really take it all that seriously? The production values were atrocious, the program was 22-minutes long soaking wet and it gave maybe 4-minutes tops to discussing issues as weighty as the START Treaty or Turkish membership in the European Union. I got my information, quite frankly, from the New York Times and Washington Post  -- even in high school and certainly in college -- but I got my political entertainment, and I have always loved political entertainment, back in the day, from the McLaughlin Group.

I have been watching The McLaughlin Group since before I went to college, which seems like aeons ago in retrospect. In those days it was John, Jack Germond, Eleanor, Pat Buchanan and Robert Novak. Novak soon left (or, rather, was fired), as did Germond. But Eleanor and Pat -- the shows barometers of left and right -- always reamined, loyalists to the end.

What I loved most about the show is how McLaughlin created a narrative beyond the politics involving the panelists on the show. John would openly flirt with Eleanor Clift (who was married at the time), "Eleanor, Eleanor, gee you're swell and all," he crooned, badly. Sometime panelist Freddie "the Beetle" Barnes was a stone-cold geek, and billionaire Mort Zuckerman endured endless ribbing about his money, a source of infinite McLaughlin's envy. McLaughlin kept mentioning the rumpled Germond's weakness for "the track," in careless whispers (Ah, the 80s). I always thought it was all very old school, very HL Mencken-ish, the image of a rumpled, chubby Germond, armed with a hip flask at the track betting on a substantial tip from an equally soused colleague. Germond always seemed about as enchanted in being a panelist on the show as he would have been with an impromptu prostate examination. From his obituary:

He later characterized that program — which for better or worse was intended to be a high-pitched political food fight — as 'really bad TV.' He said he had stayed only so he could pay his daughter’s medical school tuition.

I have no illusions about the "badness" of the show, oh purist media commentators. It was bad politics and after the age of 21 I never learned anything new from watching the show. The budget for McLaughlin Group was clearly cut-rate, although the panel probably made out like bandits. That having been said, it was entertaining (particularly to young politcs geeks), nostalgic (to those same politics geeks returning home from college), lovingly predictable (one always knew where Eleanor and Pat stood on an issue), and a wonderful prod to open conversation over the holidays (especially among my close immediate family of Ugandan immigrants). I loved the show largely because it was a part of my childhood and adulthood, it was entertainment that brought my Ugandan-American immigrant family closer together. Over the years many of my politics-geek friends from diverse backgrounds have said much the same.

It has been a Sunday ritual for as my family long as I can remember. The last few years though the old guy had been getting up there in age, and it showed. He is not as quick on the draw. McLaughlin read most of his dialogue from a sheet that was probably prepared by someone else. He spoke less and less, allowing the panelists to dominate the conversation -- something the old McLaughlin would never have allowed. I’ve noticed, I’m sure a lot of fans have, that the show was winding down. The schedule was really starting to wear on the former Jesuit priest, which made the last episodes all the more sad. "The sharpest minds, best sources, hardest talk” has come to an abrupt end. I particularly loved the year-end “awards” show (or is it Thanksgiving ― “gobble gobble”) when the panel ― Pat, Eleanor, now Tom and Clarence Page ― dress up at their Beltway swishiest, while McLaughlin gets his festive red blazer out of the back of his mothballed closet. I also remember the moving tribute John gave to Eleanor's husband, Tom Brazaitis on the occasion of his death. And after the death of Tom Brazaitis, Eleanor wore black for what seemed like the rest of the year. I remember wondering aloud "How long can a human being mourn."?

And then one day Eleanor laughed, and stopped wearing black, and the show becamse light again.

To me the show was most relevant during the Second Persian Gulf War when Eleanor and Pat Buchanan, curiously, were on the same side of the fence ―liberalism and paleoconservative at one in an odd post-Cold war moment where even neoconservative Jeanne Kirkpatrick leaned "America First." Although Pat Buchanan frequently said unfortunate things ― especially about immigrants and race ― his paleoconservative critique of Tony Blankley's mainstream conservatism-neoconservatism was something not seen on the cable networks. And now Buchanan’s paleoconservatism has come up again as highly relevant via the rise of Trump.


 The last year, however, John McLaughlin totally missed the Brexit. That was a clarion sign that something was not quite right in McLaughlinWorld. I mean, this was Jesuit, philosophically-trained John McLaughlin, right? 

I have no idea if they continue with the show (McLaughlin Group hosted by Eleanor Clift?) or if this is the end of an era.If they do continue with Pat or Eleanor hosting, it will not quite be the same.
While the young breathe a collective "Whatevs" at the death of such a louche beltway public television provocateur, those of us who grew up in the shadow of the Cold War loved the madcap, almost antic comic vibe that pervaded the McLaughlin Show. Whether or not McLaughlin meant the show to be taken as entertainment, I most certainly did. And as entertainment -- or, rather, political entertainment -- it was a pretty good thing.

Unfortunately even good things must come to an end.

The Gawker Party: End of an Era

image via David Barish

Whether you liked it or abstained entirely, Gawker was an influential part of the Manhattan media landscape over the last decade and a half. Journalism changed from the introduction of the Gawker blend of snarkiness (a cousin to Spy's) and their obsessive personal coverage of the 1%. For 14-years Gawker ran roughshod -- for good or for ill -- over the wealthy, the famous and the powerful as an independent media company with a heck of a lot of moxy. Oftentimes that brash spirit overstepped the bounds of good taste and, quite frankly ethics. But they have always been somewhat good to this blog over the years, particularly in the beginning years.

On Wednesday night there was a hint of autumnal sadness in the air even as the wine was being tossed back, a sense that an era is ending. And it has -- or it will -- next week, when Gawker is sold to a large media conglomerate (Ziff-Davis?) with large enough pockets and a hunger for their data.

Lockhart Steele, Elizabeth Spiers, Lindsay Robertson were among the crowd which seemed to include just about every member of the Gawker team past and present as well as every media reporter in the city, which is quite a feat in the thick of August. A lot of the Gawker team of the past are now married and with kids.

Part of the sadness of the night involves the fact that the ending of Gawker involves a victory for the bad guys, one in particular. Peter Thiel, who funded the Hulk Hogan lawsuit -- and the others is the winner. Anil Dash summed it up nicely on Twitter. "We know Thiel funded James O'Keefe's attacks on ACORN & Planned Parenthood. We know he backs Trump's violent, fascist campaign. Who's next?"
Nick Denton, John Cook and Heather Dietrick all spoke. Nick, in particular, was very gracious about the whole strange trip of Gawker, reminding the attendees that several of the Gawker team are still fighting lawsuits, including a 23-year old intern. Nick mentioned A.J. Daulerio, who was not in attendance, because he is in the process of declaring bankruptcy. It was fun -- the event itself and the wild 14-year ride.

Also in attendance: Choire Sicha, Anna Holmes, Andrew Krucoff, Lloyd Grove, Emily Gould, CNN's Tom Kludt, Max Read, Adrien Chen, Irin Carmon, Anil Dash, Peter Kafka, Felix Salmon, and Michael Calderone.

Brana Dane's Birthday Party

Photographer:  Jan.

The evening began with a terrible thunderstorm, but by the time Brana's Birthday Plunge began at the far west end of the island of Manhattan, the sun had come out once again. At the plunge Hotel Bar & Rooftop at the Hotel Gansevoort on July 14th model and writer Brana Dane celebrate her birthday. 
 

I arrived early at The Hotel Gansevoort early to watch a photo shoot with Brana done by fashion photographer Frederica Dall'Orso, who flew to Tokyo the day after the shoot. The activewear designer was Nesh NYC, an active wear line. And the jewelry was NYC-based brand Kiss of the Fae, inspired by Fairies. Afterwards there was drinks and dancing far into the night.

 Spotted among the crowd:  Daniel Scot Kadin, Conlyn Chang, Jan Miryam Marina, Brad Setser,  Christian Neonsanchos.

Media Left Behind: Tim LaHaye, RIP

On the occasion of the death of Tim LaHaye --> my blog post titled "Media Left Behind," circa 2004: http://ow.ly/nh73302Altz 

Lunch at Michaels

Trump cast his characteristic pall over the Chattering Class today at Michaels restaurant in Midtown Manhattan. It seemed no matter where one turned, the conversation inevitably inched towards Trumpworld. "Is he really going to win?" everyone seemed to be asking. As The Corsair walked in to meet David Patrick Columbia at Table 8, we were greeted to the site of Judy Collins, she of the ethereal voice, crouched under a large summer hat, going incognito (Isn't the point of Michaels on a Wednesday to be highly visible?). Still, she can do no wrong in The Corsair's blog. We have loved Collins madly ever since watching her on Sesame Street in our youth, singing "Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow."(Long sigh)

There was a lot of "Yesterday" -- of nostalgia -- underpinning the general fear over a Trump planet. Kathryn Leigh Scott, who played Josette DePres on Dark Shadows was among the well-heeled. She has just authored a new book Last Dance at the Savoy, her memoir and has been on the circuit promoting. Her husband, who passed away, gave David his first job at Los Angeles magazine. They did some catching up while The Corsair caught up with AdAge and Mediabistro's awesome Diane Clehane, on Dark Shadows, on Outlander and why she really ought to watch #GameofThrones.

The conversation was largely about politics, about pop culture: the OJ telemovies, Paris Hilton (heralding the death of the traditional socialite, the Kardashians, the financial crisis, the Presidential election, Bernie Sanders, the cell-phonification of restaurants nowadays and why men when they get older love History. And, of course, Writing. I have wanted to become a professional writer since I was about eight and was happy to learn that roughly the same was true for David. Do kids today have that sense of what they want to do and the desire to do it even if it does not always mean great wealth? Is vocational happiness worth pursuing even with the knowledge that wealth on that career path will be elusive?

Also in the crowd: Star Jones, Dennis Bosso and Jack Meyers. Things slowed down after Memorial Day, summer house season, especially as the Cannes Lion events are being held a world away. Can Trump really win? The general consensus, among those that The Corsair spoke to this afternoon, is a general sense of fear at the possibility.

MacBeth Unhinged Starring Olivia Maxwell

Macbeth Unhinged Trailer from angus macfadyen on Vimeo.

400 years ago today, Shakespeare shuffled off the mortal coil and left this world. This is a perfect time to pivot to an interesting new film about the man's work. Lyme disease activist and all-around swell gal Olivia Maxwell has a substantial supporting role in Angus Macfadyen's new feature Macbeth Unhinged. "I saw the final cut- I am blown away," said Olivia. "My dad spoke and lead the Q and A it he compared the filming to Truffaults, 'Day for Night' and Kurosawa, my dad was blown away."

Prince, RIP The David Chappele Skit

Harvey Keitel and Taki

Strange friendships in NYC. Jewish NYC actor Harvey Keitel is friends with rambunctious paleoconservative Greek writer Taki. To wit:

"My friendship with Harvey Keitel began the first time we met, at a Chuck Pfeifer lunch for people who don’t move their lips while reading. It was at a gentlemen’s club in New York about twenty years ago. I asked him what a nice Jewish boy from Brooklyn was doing in the Marine Corps instead of “being on Wall Street screwing Christians.” He roared with laughter and asked no one in particular, “Who is this guy? I like him.” Well, it was a fun night at Carnegie Hall, not even spoiled by a ghastly neocon by the name of Max Boot interviewing the general and sounding as though a valet were asking the questions. General Petraeus got a very raw deal—only in Anglo-Saxon countries does one lose his job for bedding a woman—but Boot should stick to fluttering like a moth around celebrity flames and leave the questions to, well, yours truly. "

Stranger things, I suppose, have happened in this crazy city.

John Gutfreund, RIP

"I knew of John Gutfreund long before I ever met him. Because of his wife Susan and their widely publicized glamorous and bi-continental life both here and in Paris. The Gutfreunds created a social splash that was worthy of reporting for its extravagance and style. Mrs. Gutfreund, a brilliant Francophile, an autodidact of history, society, and the decorative arts, created for herself and her husband, an interesting life hobnobbing with the international world of tycoons, European aristocrats, politicians, bankers, and scions of the lifestyle which she herself achieved. It was said that her husband, a major Wall Street banker, very much enjoyed the fruits of his labors through his wife’s interests and pursuits. I later learned more about him as a businessman when he fell from grace – after a long and financially profitable ascent – at the Wall Street investment bank of Salomon Brothers & Hutzler, later just Salomon and then finally Philbro which acquired it. That acquisition was, in a way, John Gutfreund’s coup d’etat in the final wresting of control of the firm. It was also the beginning of the end of his career because of legal problems which arose  in the trading department shortly thereafter, and he resigned his position at the behest of his new boss Warren Buffet, and paid a multi-million dollar fine. At the time of his legal problems, his reputation as a businessman became more public in newspaper accounts of the matter. The personality profile that emerged was a man who was very sharp mentally and could detect the weakest link in a deal or an individual involved in a deal with a split-second instinct. His personal executive style in presiding could be harsh to put mildly, and could provoke anger and resentment. His resignation provoked great public interest – particularly among his peers both socially and financially, as well as those of us who read those pages in our newspapers." (NYSD)

My new Corsair Tumblr blog: http://ronmwangaguhunga.tumblr.com

Media-Whore D'Oeuvres

Mrs. Astor holding court in her mansion on Fifth Avenue. Twenty years ago — more than a century after Mrs. Astor and McAllister drew up their “400” list — Quest introduced a “400” list. "Twenty years ago — more than a century after Mrs. Astor and McAllister drew up their “400” list — Quest introduced a “400” list. In 2015, when reviewing the “400 list” we introduced in 1995, it was interesting to note the differences between then and now. There are no private ballrooms like Mrs. Astor’s to reference, and no hostesses sitting like a monarch on a throne to greet her guests. (As The Mrs. Astor did, dripping in diamonds -- they called her the human chandelier.)  The social scene had expanded commensurately with the population of New York. Society had become more democratic in the long run — and has become even more so in the past two decades. Our method of identifying those individuals and families for the earlier list was non-scientific." (NYSD)

The Ron Mwangaguhunga Tumblr

If you didn't already know, I do more daily updates on media, culture and politics here:


https://www.tumblr.com/blog/ronmwangaguhunga

Media-Whore D'Oeuvres

  

"The issue of succession is a difficult matter not just for family-run businesses but for the families that run them. Take the Murdochs, for instance. Or the Binghams, the Kentucky newspaper clan that imploded in the 1980s. Historically speaking, transitions in the Sulzberger family, which has run the New York Times for 119 years, have not gone all that smoothly. During the paper’s early days, patriarch Adolph Ochs agonized over which heir should follow him: his nephew Julius Ochs Adler or his son-in-law, Arthur Hays Sulzberger. (His daughter, Iphigene, was never considered.) The competition took a toll on all involved. In 1932, Sulzberger suffered a stress-induced heart attack, which crippled his left hand; a year later, Adler had a nervous breakdown and spent six weeks in a mental institution. Ochs clung to the notion that maybe they could share the crown. “There can be only one head to a business,” Sulzberger replied. Ultimately, Ochs punted on the decision. When he died in 1935, his will essentially left it to Arthur, Julius, and Iphigene to work it out among themselves. Iphigene, being the deciding vote, supported her husband, thus cleaving a fault line in the family that was never repaired. The Adlers and Sulzbergers stopped speaking. In 1959, the final Adler was forced out of the paper. Now, three generations and 80 years later, Ochs’s descendants are confronting a similar dilemma: Multiple capable family members from different branches want the top job. The House of Sulzberger is made up of four families, all descendants of Ochs’s daughter, and each harbors its own ambitions and grievances. The central rivalry is between the two most powerful wings: the Goldens and the Sulzbergers. But the outcome is not just a matter of family politics; the next publisher of the New York Times will be responsible for preserving the independence of the country’s greatest newspaper in an increasingly challenging media environment. In recent months, I spoke with more than 65 current and former Times executives and journalists, plus Sulzberger-family members, advisers, and friends, to learn how the company is grooming its short list of potential successors. Three finalists have emerged ..." (NYMag)






"On Sunday night Murdoch put out word, through his personal Twitter account, that "it's time" for Bloomberg, a fellow mogul who completed a third term as New York City mayor in 2013 and now runs Bloomberg LP, the financial data and media firm he founded decades ago.The tweets were intriguing not just because Murdoch seemed to be publicly drafting Bloomberg, but because Murdoch was sharply critical of GOP frontrunner Donald Trump earlier this summer. Murdoch seemed to soften his stance against Trump as the candidate soared in the polls. Now the comments complimenting Bloomberg call that into question. Murdoch framed it this way: "With Trump becoming very serious candidate, it's time for next billionaire candidate, Mike Bloomberg to step into ring. Greatest mayor." A little while later, seemingly responding to Twitter users' complaints about Bloomberg as a micro-managing "nanny state" mayor, Murdoch wrote: "Agree much about Bloomberg, nannystate, etc, but still a great philanthropic executive who, with Guiliani [sic], made NY the greatest." A couple of hours later, he followed up again with: "I did not say I would vote for him! Just a friend I admire." Notions of a Bloomberg bid for president come and go, but Murdoch's tweets are sure to trigger more such talk." (CNNMoney)

Helen Gurley Brown in her office in 1982. Credit Harry Benson/Contour by Getty Images.

"The Sunday papers. There was an interesting real estate story in the “Fashion and Style” section of yesterday’s Times “Who Owns Helen Gurley Brown’s Legacy?” by Katherine Rosman. The center of the piece, the elephant in the living room, is the  quadriplex apartment tower in the Beresford that belonged to David and Helen Gurley Brown. David died at 93 in February 2010, and Helen followed him in August, 2012 at age 90. The issue in the Times piece is centered around the apartment which some brokers today say could go for $50 million. It seems that the apartment, like everything else that belonged to the Browns, has been taken under the wing of Hearst Corporation and a woman named Eve Burton, who is a Hearst vice-president as well as co-executor of Helen’s will. In fact the officers of the foundation and trustees of the copyrights on Helen’s material are all Hearst executives. They believe that Helen Gurley Brown and the “brand” (as Burton refers to it in the article) are one and the same. This is not so remarkable since the Browns died with no next of kin or close relatives, so their entire estate went into foundations and on to charities. The board of the Beresford co-op, however, want the apartment sold. It is very unusual for an estate with no heirs but charities to be held off the market for more than six months. It is very unclear why Hearst and Ms. Burton have not sold the property and added the proceeds to the Browns’ foundation. William Zabel, probably the most important and influential lawyer in New York in the matter of rich estates, was quoted in Rosman’s piece saying “This is a strange, strange story. There is no good reason for keeping an apartment more than six months.” For me it was firstly the reminder that as long as I knew the Browns, I was never in their apartment, nor were many of their close friends. Although they were very social they rarely entertained. If they did indeed have people over, it was seldom, and I never knew of it. It didn’t strike me as odd, however, as they, being a working couple, tended to either prefer a quiet dinner at home, or be out with friends.  " (NYSD)         

John Oliver on Televangelists

Media-Whore D'Oeuvres

"This isn’t about whether Hillary Clinton wins the Democratic nomination, which is likely. It isn’t even about whether she becomes our next president, which she has a better chance of doing than anyone else. It’s about basic respect — for us and for the truth. Why, when she took office as secretary of state, did she decide to route official e-mails through a server in her suburban New York mansion? There is just one plausible explanation: She wanted control. Clinton was no stranger to the rules of the federal government. She had to know that if she used a State Department account, her 60,000-plus e-mails would become part of the official record. She certainly knew, without any doubt, that her political opponents would delight in rummaging through her communications. Let’s be honest: Hillary and Bill Clinton do have enemies, lots of them, who show no compunction about launching unfair and vicious attacks. She must have wanted to make sure they never got the chance. But all of that is beside the point. If you accept the job of secretary of state, you inevitably surrender some of your privacy. Any public official’s work-related e-mails are the modern equivalent of the letters, memos and diaries that fill the National Archives. They tell our nation’s history and belong to all of us. Even if your name is Clinton, you have no right to unilaterally decide what is included and what is not." (Eugene Robinson)

Brooke Shields with Harrison. Brooke with Squeaky.

"This past Saturday night out in Wainscott in the Hamptons, ARF was hosting its annual Bow Wow and Meow Gala with more than 400 attending. That’s a good number for any fundraiser anywhere including Manhattan. That’s real support. And they raised more than $700,000. In fact it was their most successful event in the 41 years of the organization. They honored Peter Marino, the tycoon of architect/interior designers. In. The. World. If you don’t know who he is, you know his buildings and have probably been in them many times. His designs are of-the-moment contemporary. His costume, which he adapted publicly several years ago, and wears where e’er he goes, is the of-the-moment contemporary for him.He’s a very friendly fellow, in a neighborly way, a major culture aficionado with his wife Jane. They have long been famous for their concert/dinners in their East 57th Street aerie over near Sutton Place. To demonstrate his gratitude for the honor, he adopted two kitties from ARF, Spider and Ferret. He has also underwritten dog runs at the shelter. It was a beautiful summer night out there. Peter Duchin provided the music for the background and the dance. Brooke Shields was emcee, and told the crowd that she hurt her foot giving a treat to her adopted pup. The glam and summery décor was provided by those impresarios of taste and celebration, David Monn and Alex Papachristidis. All of this under a big open tent on the grounds of ARF." (NYSD)

Mark Wilson/Getty Images

"Much has been made of Barack Obama’s 'fourth quarter,' during which the president’s administration has ticked off a string of accomplishments that range from negotiating a nuclear deal with Iran and normalizing relations with Cuba to unveiling sweeping executive orders on immigration and commuting dozens of prison sentences for non-violent offenders. And now, signs are emerging Obama doesn’t see January 20, 2017—the end point of his presidency—as any reason to hit the brakes. Obama has been judiciously planning his life after the White House, which political insiders believe will come together around a foundation—one that could mushroom to an endowment of $1 billion." (VanityFair)







photo credit: Shutterstock

Paros, Greece

"I am on a 125-foot schooner, the Aello, built in Hamburg, Germany, in 1921 by Max Oertz and commissioned by Anthony Benakis, a great Greek benefactor. She has been totally and perfectly refitted by her present proprietor, a Greek shipowner, and I have chartered her for a fortnight’s cruise with my son and grandchildren. The crew is splendid, all six Greek, who love to sail even under these stormlike conditions. Our one and only mistake was to come to this shit island, now overrun by nouveaux riches 'cool' people, which means vulgarity like never before rules the roost ...  As I write, I’m heading back there once my daughter and her hubby arrive to this modern Sodom. What makes this trip fun is the crew and its willingness to put up the sails and travel. I have many friends who have houses in Mykonos, but they use them like Fort Zinderneuf. They venture out only when absolutely necessary. Once upon a time this was a magical island, with unblemished beaches, very clear water, and very few visitors as Mykonos is 90 miles from Athens with an open sea in between. Then Jackie Kennedy Onassis visited the place and bought some local trinkets." (Taki)




"On the avenue. I took this picture  of the very young couple resting by the litter barrel this past Wednesday afternoon about three o’clock on the of the southeast corner of Madison Avenue and East 57th Street.They didn’t look the part – homeless, penniless, down and out. In other parts of the city, the homeless begin to look the part. But this 'look' is now often the case of people you see panhandling on the streets, especially in midtown near Fifth Avenue and 57th Street, which is just about the highest rent for retail and commercial businesses. Your imagination fills in the story. A bag of potato chips, a couple cans of soda, vitamins (?!), and heavy fatigue having set in. If I wanted to leave them a 'gift,' there was no place to put it without waking them up. They forgot why they were there. Many will conclude this is a matter of drugs. Maybe but I’m not so sure. Even if there has been drug taking, what led to this? That is the crucial question. Whatever it was, it happened not very long ago, from the looks of them. Maybe that morning. They were both cleanly dressed and clean. Those very young fragile feet had never seen much walking. Were they runaways? From what? The day. Last Thursday was one of those. I took this picture of the Crown Building at 1 PM, right after I got out of my cab at 57th Street and Fifth Avenue. This is on the northeast corner. For many years it was the jewel in the crown for I. Miller shoes. I took the photo because in the midday Sun the gold on the building was glistening. I couldn’t get it with my camera. Ferdinand and Immelda Marcos once secretly owned the Crown. It was bought in 1991 by Elliot Spitzer’s father for $93 million. The Spitzer family sold it last December for $1.75 billion. Bulgari occupies the ground floor." (NYSD)


"The tradition the Grand Bal came into being several centuries ago as a political device and demonstration of power to a society's elite, and to one's adversaries and neighbors.

They were very often masked balls, giving guests — and hosts — the opportunity to expand their horizons of interest and make new acquaintances discreetly. They were what they remain today, although quite differently, the opportunity to bring people together and to entertain. From the 17th century, Louis XIV set the tone with his grand bals at Versailles. Three centuries later, Elsa Maxwell set the tone for New York with the April in Paris Ball (in the 1950s) at the Waldorf-Astoria. The following is a brief compilation of some of those grand bals which I wrote for the August issue of Quest magazine's annual '400' issue. To most Americans, a Bal, a grand ball is a special formal occasion, a dance where men dress in black tie, and women in gowns. Very often it’s a fund-raising effort for a charity. To children, the ball is where Cinderella met the Prince. She meets the prince, then she has to disappear (otherwise she’ll turn into a pumpkin) and the prince, already madly in love with her, doesn’t know her name. It was other worldly, make believe. The tradition of the Grand Bal, however, reaches back centuries to the days when monarchs ruled the world. It was an occasion to demonstrate Power. A king would give a ball to demonstrate his political power, and because he was king, he had deep pockets for for entertaining his guests. Louis XIV is a perfect example. With his personal monument to himself, the palace of Versailles, he had complete control of his “people,” beginning with the nobles. His entertainments served to focus on that reality and to make its site available to confirm it in the minds of others. The intent was also to send messages. His lavish luxury also sent a message to the foreigners, diplomats, businessmen and aristocracy: all powerful. He had the power to amaze." (NYSD) 





photo credit: Shutterstock

Donald and Melania Trump

"I met Donald Trump during the late ’90s, at a grand party thrown by Lord Black for his wife’s 60th birthday. It was in New York, Conrad Black was at the height of his power as a press lord, and his wife Barbara ditto, writing beautiful conservative stuff for major British and Canadian papers. I was seated next to Melania Trump, The Donald’s third and present wife, and we hit it off extremely well. Our bête noir was that grotesque excuse for a secretary of state, Madeleine Albright. Melania is from the ex-Yugoslavia, and well aware that establishing a Muslim zone in the middle of the Balkans, as the Clinton administration had done, was a disaster in the making. So the two of us blasted away until a certain Richard Burt—former Times man and, I believe, ambassador to Germany—cut in on our conversation rather rudely. Although I pride myself on old-fashioned manners, this was not the time to exhibit them. I told Burt that one more word out of him and he would be sucking on his gums for the next month or so. End of discussion." (Taki)





"I love Belgrade from all angles, even the air. Flying in one banks over a certain house that is distinctly visible, down to its details, and that’s because it’s not strictly a house, more of a Palace, the dimensions of which closely resemble a New York City block. From the air it is marvelous and from the ground it is also pretty swell. Beauty on a grand scale just proves that more is better.
Since I’ve been in Belgrade I’ve rented all over town. I’ve seen the city from the suburbs to the center of the universe. The center of the universe being a bar called Tezga. This would be the equivalent of ‘Cheers’ to some, or the Green Parrot to others. While there are no live bands there are live humans who are reliably intriguing and I’ve had the pleasure of filling my Serbian cellphone with numbers of cool, hot, smart, funny types. All of them introduced to me by my pal Igor (Igor Stojanović whose grandfather was the personal bodyguard of my mother HRH Princess Jelisaveta Karađorđević back in the day!). Igor knows everyone and spends so much time at Tezga I’m surprised they don’t charge him rent. Speaking of rent, it is Igor who arranges for my rentals. A side businesses in between hooking up with hotties and frolicking with them on the beaches of Montenegro in summer and skiing the slopes of Kopaonik in winter." (Christina Oxenberg)

Olivia Maxwell, Lyme Disease Activist

Musician/socialite/actress/songwriter Olivia Maxwell has lived an intense life. After being disgnosed with Lyme disease, she became an activist. "There is a, a reason I stopped playing music. It's because my energy levels and my brain do not work the way they once did," emails Maxwell. "It stopped my music career back in 2007...dead I it's tracks. Last decent song I wrote was in 2009."

After going into remission, Maxwell developed a new tick sickness. "So, I became pretty fed up. So fed up that I had a idea to start a march — a huge march in D.C. with at least a million people, one day next May," she wrote. Their Facebook page already has over 1,000 likes. Check it out and support the cause -- and the march -- here.