Missing | Blogging on Meds

Bloody Social Nights: The Ballad of Burke and Biden

Monday, August 25, 2008 - 11:03 am (EST)
By Ray LeMoine

NOTE: I originally posted this up here in Feb. But since Joe Biden was named VP, and this story is about his nephew Jamie’s band, I figured I’d repost it to remind you that other Bidens besides Joe are cool…I should’ve titled it “Just Don’t Make This About My Uncle…” Anyway, enjoy and check out Bloody Social.

New York Magazine commissioned this feature in summer 2007, but it never ran. My job was to spend a few months following the band Bloody Social, who feature Calvin Kleun male model Jamie Burke on vocals, Joe Biden’s nephew Jamie Biden on guitar, and Drew Beat from Bold on drums. My editor quit right as the story was finishing up. In summer 07 no downtown crew raged like Bloody Social. Endless thanks to Adam Fisher. Also to Vegas and JZ…

Bloody Social Nights: The Ballad of Burke and Biden

Jamie Burke and Drew “Beat” Thomas

1.
Downtown rock band Bloody Social are about to perform at a party sponsored by Myspace at Irving Plaza. But first the band has to takes some pictures. Every lens angles towards singer Jamie Burke, the London-born Calvin Klein model, a lanky, grunge-y longhair. His two black suction cup eyes mesmerize the paparazzi as they yell “Jamie, Jamie” without pause. Burke leans left and whispers to Bloody Social’s guitarist, who’s also a tall long hair named Jamie—Biden. He’s the nephew of Democratic Presidential candidate Joe Biden. The two Jamies wear all black, save Burke’s grey suit vest over a sleeveless tee and Biden’s grey bandana. The rest of the band is blurred among Bloody Social’s dozen-strong posse: a crew of club promoters, fashion designers, pro skateboarders, hairstylists, rockers, and models.

At 22, Jamie Burke is already an established playboy. A scan of Google images shows Burke in various states of boldface. Snowboarding in Aspen with Kate Moss. Smooching Lindsay Lohan outside Pastis in the Meatpacking District. Massaging a topless Sienna Miller on a Caribbean beach. Chilling with Boy George outside a club. Walking hand in hand with Courtney Love. Gracing Calvin Klein’s premier Soho billboard space on Houston at Broadway, his nose ringed blue steel stare and sexy man locks embracing model Lara Stone. A New York Times Style article headlined “Another Summer Of Love” using said billboard as a prime example of a neo-hippy fashion trend. Burke and crop-top Armani model Agyness Dean hugging nude in Vanity Fair, dubbed “Models du Jurs 2007.”

It’s 11pm, show time, but the thousand-capacity room is only half-full. Even amongst this sophisticated, guest list-only crowd of publicists, assistants, bloggers, editors, and label reps, Bloody Social are a band most have heard of but never actually heard. Taking the stage bathed in red smoke and feedback, Bloody Social blasts the spacious club with heavy Hollywood influenced blues-punk, a unique sound in New York’s current Brooklyn-centric 80s influenced rock scene. Burke shimmied across the stage doing a swerve dance, singing in a raspy, Weiland-y, voice. Biden breaks into a deep space solo.

A few songs in, the crowd polarizes. Men flee towards the (open) bar at the club’s rear while women swoon to Burke’s sermon. A girl at the bar points out that two of the band’s song choruses, “where do we go now” and “kick start my heart,” are already taken by Guns N’ Roses and Motley Crue respectively. Another girl, who works at Bumble and Bumble salon, says she could “never date a guy with better hair than me,” admitting that the entire band does.

Bloody Social formed just six months ago. Cocooned within a nightlife-fashion-celebrity nexus, the band has fast earned a reputation for unruly club shows and sordid after-parties. But with the record industry’s 20% annual decline hitting year seven, Bloody Social has no label bankroll and are in the unique position of being rock stars without a record. Leaving them stigmatized as male socialites trying to capitalize on connections. Still, the band’s first six months have been a montage of pure rock n’ rock mythology, complete with meddling starlets, battling egos, magazine photo shoots, tabloid gossip, and decadent trips to Miami, LA, and Brazil.

Ten minutes after Bloody Social’s set ends, I’m downstairs in the men’s room. Suddenly Burke bursts in with two sweaty, skinny women. All three huddle into a metal stall. This being a Live Nation venue with a North Korean police state vibe, one had to be impressed by Burke’s public Columbian orgy. A third girl pops in a few seconds later screaming, “Jamie, you fookin’ bastard!” in an Oxbridge accent. Burke opened the stall door and yanked her in too. Cheers, mate!

2.
“Just don’t make this about my uncle,” says Jamie Biden, 28, hiding behind thick plastic aviators and a newly grown beard. It’s a hot August afternoon outside the Belmont Lounge on E 15th St near Union Square. Biden is the Belmont’s newly hired “creative director,” and a previously upscale bar is now effectively a rock band’s clubhouse.
It gets better after jump…
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TAGS: 2004, attack, Bloggers, Brooklyn, Bush, drama, Drugs, free, Gorilla Biscuits, India, Joe Biden, Julian Schnabel, Kate Moss, kids, leak, Milk Studios, missing, model, Music, myspace, Nas, New York, New York Times, pennsylvania, Pete Doherty, political, Rehab, skateboard, skateboarder, Sports, Staten Island, The Box, The Strokes, Travel, vegan, Vice, Vice Magazine, war, wasted

“She’s my f–king soul mate, dude.”

Wednesday, July 9, 2008 - 3:24 pm (EST)
By Ray LeMoine

An Appreciation of A Rod (No Homo)

A Rod is the best worst guy ever, and I was always pretty sure he was gay. (What straight 30-yr-old man do you know who likes Madonna, would invite Jeter for sleepovers, sunbathes in just jean short shortz in the Ramble, or has frosted tips?) But ever since US Weekly broke the Madg-Rod story, a parade of strippers, strip clubs, swinger clubs, and one night stands have come to light. A Rod sounds like a world class scode. Now I have my doubts. Is A Rod really hetero?

Meanwhile, dude is hitting 320 with 18 jacks and 50 RBI despite missing like a month of the season. Or, he’s gonna win MVP—again. All while in the middle of the biggest sports-tabloid divorce ever.

As a Red Sox fan, I’m predisposed to hate A Rod. But since Yankee fans have never really taken to him and he’s never really beat the Sox, I secretly enjoy watching him play. Last year I caught a dozen games during his legendary first half when every other at bat he hit a homer. I hate to say it, but it was f–king awesome. Bad haircut and all, the guy is the best I’ve ever seen besides Bonds*.

US Weekly just released more reportage:

“He kept smiling, acting as if he was a little kid,” the dinner companion tells Us Weekly in its latest issue, on newsstands now. “He told me it was Madonna,” A-Rod’s friend says. “I was shocked.” The highest-paid player in baseball then “proceeded to say he was in love with her,” the pal tells Us. “I thought he was kidding, but he wasn’t.” By February, the 32-year-old slugger had upped the ante. “He said, ‘She’s my f–king soul mate, dude.’”

TAGS: A-Rod, Divorce, Jeter, Madonna, missing, Red Sox, Sports, strippers

Times Iraq Editorial Forgets Iraqis

Monday, July 7, 2008 - 4:22 pm (EST)
By Ray LeMoine

PIC AHMAD AL-RUBAYE. Iraqis still love Fitty…

The Times lead editorial today lists what the Presidential candidates should be talking about in regards to Iraq:

What support does Iraq need to ensure that provincial elections set for later this year — a crucial opportunity for disenfranchised Sunnis to play a larger role in government — and national elections in 2009 are as free and fair as possible?

What help does Iraq’s government need to resettle some two million internally displaced Iraqis and another two million who have fled to Syria and Jordan?

What can be done to promote long stalemated political reforms and encourage reconciliation? Should there be an internationally sponsored conference?

What can the United States do to try to persuade Iraq’s neighbors in Iran and Syria to promote rather than undermine Iraq’s stability and sovereignty?

Should the United States seek to keep a limited force behind for targeted counterterrorism operations or to deter genocide or aggressive outside meddling?

Would Washington have more influence — and a greater chance of enlisting help — if it completely withdrew or negotiated a slower drawdown with the Iraqis?

Missing is one big, fat question: What do Iraqis think the US owes them before leaving?

Under a just war rationale, the minimum requirement would be a functioning state that can provide its own security. We are not there yet. As Alissa Rubin reports in the Times news pages today, many Iraqis still lack electricity and water, and violence is perpetual despite the security improvements. I agree a withdrawal plan must be put in place, but the Iraqi people must be drawn into the process, whether through a referendum, a public commission, or some other democratic mechanism. Right now, the Sunnis are underrepresented in the Iraqi government and most Iraqis consider Maliki’s rule illegitimate.

A unilateral withdrawal is the same as a unilateral invasion—reckless and undemocratic. Yet anything negotiated with Maliki’s government would be considered illegitimate by the Sunnis and Sadrists. (Today Maliki even proposed his own withdrawal timetable.) Iraq’s general population must be brought into the process.

TAGS: election, free, HBO, Iran, Iraq, missing, political, war

Must Read: Dexter Filkins on Moqtada Sadr

Thursday, June 5, 2008 - 11:13 am (EST)
By Ray LeMoine

Former NYT Baghdad reporter Dexter Filkins, whose million dollar advance book The Forever War (Knopf) comes out in Sept (and has been optioned by Tom Cruise), weighs in on Patrick Cockburn’s new bio of war criminal Moqtada al Sadr for TNR today.

The Wild Card
Dexter Filkins, The New Republic Published: Wednesday, June 11, 2008

Muqtada: Muqtada Al-Sadr, the Shia Revival, and the Struggle for Iraq

By Patrick Cockburn

(Scribner, 227 pp., $24)

To feel the power of Muqtada al-Sadr, the young Shiite cleric and tormentor of the Americans in Iraq, all you needed to do, in the years after the invasion, was go to the Mohsin Mosque in eastern Baghdad. There, spread in the street for a half a mile, as many as fifteen thousand young men would stand assembled, prayer mats in hand, waiting for the service to begin. The scene was safe: Mahdi Army gunmen searched the cars and the supplicants for bombs. There were no American soldiers in sight. And then, as the thousands fell to their knees, an imam would exit the mosque, climb onto a raised wooden platform, and signal the beginning of prayer. As he began, the crowd started to chant.

May God speed his appearance!
May God curse his enemies!
May God make his son triumphant!
Muqtada!
Muqtada!
Muqtada!

The “his” in the first three chants referred to the Mahdi–the messiah of Shia Islam–and the last three lines established a momentous equivalence between this redeemer and Muqtada al-Sadr. But Muqtada never showed his face; he almost never does.

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TAGS: attack, debate, election, HBO, Iran, Iraq, Islam, missing, model, Mosque, New York, New York Times, obituary, political, political parties, Politics, Shiite, Slam, spin, surf, Travel, war

US Assault on Mosul Missing from American Papers

Monday, May 12, 2008 - 9:55 am (EST)
By Ray LeMoine

Mosul looks like a city of the dead. American and Iraqi troops have launched an attack aimed at crushing the last bastion of al- Qa’ida in Iraq and in doing so have turned the country’s northern capital into a ghost town. Soldiers shoot at any civilian vehicle on the streets in defiance of a strict curfew. Two men, a woman and child in one car which failed to stop were shot dead yesterday by US troops, who issued a statement saying the men were armed and one made “threatening movements”.

Why is this being reported in the UK but not the US? Patrick Cockburn of the Independent:

Mosul, on the Tigris river, is inhabited by 1.4 million people, but has been sealed off from the outside world by hundreds of police and army checkpoints since the Iraqi government offensive against al-Qa’ida began at 4am on Saturday.

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TAGS: attack, insurgents, Iraq, missing, Osama bin Laden, Practice, Race

Can The Media Find Nick Garza?

Thursday, May 8, 2008 - 3:26 pm (EST)
By Rachel Elder

On the night of February 5th, 2008, Nicholas Garza, an extraordinarily bright, strikingly attractive Middlebury College freshman left the Stewart dorm with a friend at 10:43pm. It was the beginning of winter break and not many students were on Middlebury’s campus, whose pastoral sprawl was blanketed with snow. Nick was probably doing what most freshmen do during winter break when you’re stuck on campus: drinking, and wandering around looking for something to do. He entered another dorm, Allen at 10:48pm.

This is where things get weird. He was last seen leaving this building at 11:05pm to make the short walk back across Rte. 125 to get back to his dorm room some 500 yards away. He has not been seen since.

Generally, after this much time, one would assume that Nick Garza is no longer alive. But there are so many unanswered questions. To me, some stand out like prints in snow: why is so little information reported while there is an extensive investigation underway? How could someone like Nick just disappear into to the clean, privileged air of the Middlebury campus without a trace?

In an ongoing investigation, police aren’t obligated to give the media information if it’s going to be detrimental to the case. As of Thursday, May 8th, police are closer to solving the case than ever, but mainly because for the first time in three long months there are a few clues into his disappearance.

After exhaustive searches throughout the winter snow found no traces of Nick, a marine search team from Maine took aerial photos of Otter Creek, the powerful river that cuts through the center of town. This was the only area of Middlebury that had yet to be thoroughly searched. One photo showed what the marine group described as “an object of interest” –an article or thing that matched the colors of Nick’s jeans and white sneakers. It could be his legs? A blue and white chair? Who knows. By the time the information got back to the search team the object had moved further down the river and into the night.

Early this Wednesday, investigators found graffiti on a shed near Otter Creek with what resembled a smiley face. This doesn’t seem that out of the ordinary, unless you’re obsessed with morbid stuff, like crime shows about serial killers, and it’s this piece of evidence that made my skin crawl.

Authorities have claimed that over the past decade, upwards of 40 young men, usually outstanding college students, have been murdered by killers who left similar graffiti near their victims. The victims’ bodies were often found in rivers, but nobody could prove they just “fell into the water” and drowned. This mysterious “group” of killers has been dubbed “The Smiley Face Gang” by a few retired NYC detectives who have investigated disappearances of these men.

However, as of today Chief Thomas Handley of Middlebury is downplaying the recent developments. “There’s been a lot of misinformation in the media and a lot of conjecture,” he said. “People are saying things they shouldn’t be saying.” Hanley also rejected media reports linking the Garza case to the serial killer gang. “From what I’ve seen of the media portrayals of the smiley face stuff, this didn’t look anything like it,” he said.

As recently as last week, Joshua Szostack, a Latham College student who had been missing since December 23rd is now being looked at as a possible Smiley Face victim. A smiley face was found near the Hudson River where Joshua’s body eventually turned up. Latham College is in Albany, about 2 hours from Middlebury Vermont.

Gangs do a lot of killing but it’s usually for profit, not smiles. I wasn’t able to contact the NYC detectives who work the Smiley Face gang, but I did contact a former NYPD officer who also had doubts about a “gang” of killers, and said there could be an individual behind these seemingly ritual cases.

The media can easily assist detectives and police working a missing persons case. And parents play a crucial role in the investigation as well. (America’s Most Wanted, Amber Alert). Nick’s mother, Natalie Garza has taken up residence in Middlebury since February, and maintained an impressively strong, un-hysterical front these past few months. She is always articulate and composed in the manner in which she speaks to the media about her missing son. One can only imagine the torment and frustration she is going through.

There is very little anyone else can do. I know a Sheriff in Texas (they don’t mess around there). He explains that the rule of thumb played by most investigators goes something like this: “Don’t doubt anything, objectivity is the key to credibility.” Not surprising words from a police, but then again the obvious lead detective in this case is the media. In serious cases such as homicide or missing persons, the media will put a spin to the information they provide in order to garner or provoke more information. They don’t provide the public with less information as one would assume. “It’s like a delicate art form, being selective with the language and information they have, or accepting less in order to appear in control of the situation” he tells me. There is too much at risk if too much information is revealed early.

Dive teams will go back in the water today in their effort to locate the body of Nick Garza. I have a feeling there either will come a massive break in this case soon, or we’ll be left wondering, with images of the rushing water of Otter Creek for a long time to come.

If you have any information regarding the disappearance of Nick Garza, please contact the Middlebury Police Department: 802-388-3191. Or email Officer Vegar Boe: vboe {at} police.middlebury.vt(.)us, or nickgarza.info {at} gmail(.)com.

TAGS: Joshua Szostack, Middlebury College, missing, Nick Garza, Rachel Elder, serial killer, Smiley Face Killer, Vermont

Death Toll Rising Fast in Myanmar, 22,000 killed, 41,000 missing

Tuesday, May 6, 2008 - 3:05 pm (EST)
By Ray LeMoine

DONATE HERE
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BBC:

The death toll from Burma’s devastating cyclone has now risen to more than 22,000, state media have said.Some 41,000 are also missing three days after Cyclone Nargis hit the country, causing a huge tidal surge to sweep inland, according to state radio.The report came as aid agencies begin what they expect to be a major relief operation to help tens of thousands left without clean water and shelter.

TAGS: missing

Mrs. Bonnie Turner-RIP

Monday, March 17, 2008 - 12:46 am (EST)
By Lissa Moon Mathews-LaCroix

Why is it that in a red state full of shitty people doing terrible things, nature takes out one the good ones? Mrs. Bonnie was known as a wonderful Gramma, Mother, Wife, and devoted lover of animals. Her death, along with the critical injuries of her husband and the many deaths of her dogs and other various animals is a tragic loss and we send our love to her friends and family at this time.

An Article from cnn.com

By Wynn Westmoreland

ATLANTA, Georgia (CNN) — I met Bonnie Turner seven years ago when I was looking for a puppy.

There was just simply no one better to turn to than the eccentric grandmother who loved animals so much that her 86-acre North Georgia farm was home to donkeys, goats, high-priced show dogs and even a few wayward deer.

On Saturday, nothing was left of that bucolic sanctuary after a 130-mph tornado ravaged it. Bonnie died, thrown 50 feet from her home as her husband Michael cried out her name, their neighbors Joe and Jamie Wheeler said.Her death has shaken me. Images of the animals that died — at last 35 dogs and 100 still missing — make my voice crack when I speak about her.But I want her to be remembered as more than a victim, as probably does the family of the tornado’s second victim in Floyd County. Watch destruction in Floyd County »

Bonnie — whom everyone called Mrs. Bonnie — was a retired veterinarian’s assistant. Her husband, Michael, who now lies in a hospital in critical condition, built a home for them. Her “Mikey” was a man who knew that something beautiful takes time to build.

He spent hours making ornate clocks that decorated their home, and many more helping his wife oblige the physical rigors of taking care of dozens of animals. A band of Chihuahuas and a few of her award-winning American hairless terriers nipped at her ankles as she performed her daily chores.On a cloudless day in April in 2001, I visited Bonnie with a friend. She told us to lie in the grass, and she went inside her house, unleashed about a dozen puppies and watched as they ran out the door toward us. They began licking our ears, noses and toes.I noticed that a small, black-and-brown Chihuahua was trying to get my attention. I had been looking for a white female one, but Mrs. Bonnie would have none of that. “That’s your dog, he likes you,” she told me.I named the 4-pound Chihuahua Jesse James.During the years since, I often called Bonnie with questions about Jesse or dogs in general and she was always there to help.I wish everyone could have met her and experienced some of the happiness she evoked in so many. She is a soul who will be deeply missed.

Bonnie left this quote on her Web site, www.flinthillkennel.com: “Beauty such as this is a gift, and I’m often in awe of this world we’ve been given.”

TAGS: Atlanta, Crack, dog, georgia, HBO, missing, Video, war

Would You Like a Side of “Momentum” With that Crow?

Wednesday, March 5, 2008 - 4:16 pm (EST)
By Ray LeMoine

Hot Mama.
Chelsea radiates new blonde look post-NY Mag cover in Ohio yesterday with Hillary in background. Justin Sullivan, Getty.

Today’s Reads
1. Chattering Classes Fail Us Again
Echoes of New Hampshire: Ten days ago, Hilary Clinton was all but dead and buried, according to the punditocracy on cable and the oped pages. Even standard news stories had hints of Obama triuphalism. Below is the anatomy of 10-day turnaround and a media failure.

First, Saturday Night Live struck. With one deft stroke Tina Fey chastized the media’s Obama amor fiesta. A few of that Sunday’s oped pages were slathered in anti-Obama essays, espeicialy the WaPost. But the Times was all prObama.

On Monday a Clinton staffer leaked a photo of Obama in Somali Islamic battle dress to the Drudge Report. Tuesday, at the MSNBC debate, Hillary referenced SNL and asked moderater Tim Russert if Obama needed “another pillow.” Still, Obama got glowing post-debate reviews everywhere.

From there the Clintons’ said “Fuck it” and attacked. Soon came a trickle of insightful stories about Obama’s friend/fundraiser/neighbor Antoinio Rezko, a corrupt Chicago “fixer.” Friday: the Clintons’ released an outright attack ad—the most vicous of the campaign cycle—positing a post-2008 terror attack. Cue a sleeping baby, “a narrator warned of a crisis unfolding in “a dangerous world” at 3 a.m. and asked, “Who do you want answering the phone?”‘

The next night Hillary parodied herself and appeared on SNL. Sunday’s papers were awash in not just “Is it Over” stories but also more on Tony Rezko’s corruption.

At the same time, the GOP were firing up their Obama Hate Machine—”Hussein” this and “My opponent wants defeat in Iraq” that.

Monday came another bombshell. Obama’s chief economic advisor met with a Canadian official to assure them all this NAFTA talk was just political posturing. The Bam camp denied the allegations at first, but AP got hold of the memo.

On Monday night Hillary appeared on the Daily Show. Looking especially leathery and stressed, she called herself “pathetic” when asked by Jon Stewart what she was doing on a fake news show the night before the potential end of her campaign.

But Obama faced a quadruple threat on Primary eve. Was he Red Phone ready? Why is he buying land and hanging out with Tony Rezko, felon? The GOP are really Hussein-ing this guy, could he beat McCain? And finally, does he really care about the working man or is he happy shipping jobs off to Cannucks?

Yes, all of the above developed in the last 72 hours before the primaries. But anyone who’s followed the Clintons, or read Berstein’s Hillary bio, knew that an attack was obviously coming. She called herself a “fighter” during the Tuesday debate like 7 times. History shows a Clingtonian love of political beef. Equally obvious was a GOP attack.

How did anyone expect a guy running on branded “Hope” but with only 3 years in Washington, with “Hussein” for a middle name, not to be damaged by the two most effective political organizations of the last 20 years? Between the Clintons and GOP, from the War Room to Karl Rove, modern politics in all it’s dirty glory was taking action against Obama the upstart.

Overall, the media’s crystal balls were busted. Momentum meant noting. For 40 million Texans and Ohioans, policy, fear, and experience trumped hope. And those who wrote Hillary’s obit are now stuck eating crow as the fight goes on.

2. An Apology* To Riverhead
Yesterday I wrote about Riverhead’s latest bogus memoir, “Love and Consequences” by Margaret B Jones nee Seltzer. I wondered how over 3 years editor Sarah McGrath, duaghter of Timesman Charles McGrath and sister of New Yorker Ben McGrath, two of the most fact checked humans, could have not asked for some pictures or proof to back up Jones/Sletzer’s white chick South Central gangland memoir. Turns of Seltzer did provide pictures. Motoko Rick reports:

Ms. McGrath, who never met Ms. Seltzer during three years spent editing the book, said Ms. Seltzer, who lives in Eugene, Ore., had provided what she said were photographs of her foster siblings, a letter from a gang leader corroborating her story and had introduced her agent, Faye Bender, to a person who claimed to be a foster sister.

Ms. McGrath said she also trusted Ms. Seltzer because she had come through “a respected literary agent” who had in turn been referred to the author by a writer whom Ms. Bender had worked with previously.

Sorry Riverhead. Rich’s story then adds:

“It is not an industry capable of checking every last detail,” said Ira Silverberg, an agent who represented J T LeRoy (without knowing he was actually Ms. Albert) and Ishmael Beah, author of the best-selling memoir “A Long Way Gone,” who was recently accused by Australian journalists of distorting his service as a child soldier in Sierra Leone’s civil war during the 1990s, a charge that he and his publishers have repeatedly denied. “So to present yourself as something you are not betrays all the trust.”

Nan A. Talese, who published Mr. Frey’s “A Million Little Pieces,” said the combination of these recent episodes could start to change the business’s practices. “I think what editors are going to have to do is point to the things that happened recently and say to their authors, ‘If there is anything in your book that can be discovered to be untrue, you better let us know right now, and we’ll deal with it before we publish it,’ ” Ms. Talese said. But she added: “I don’t think there is any way you can fact-check every single book. It would be very insulting and divisive in the author-editor relationship.”

Missing from Rich’s story is minor detail. Every book published by a major US imprint is vetted by a lawyer to protect the house from being sued. This is not a fact check per say, but it is a $500 per hour investment on the publishers’ behalf that basically looks at every sentence and asks: Can we be sued for this?

Consider: When I co-wrote a memoir for Viking-Penguin, my agent and I discussed hiring an independent fact checker. A New Yorker fact checker (Sy Hersh’s son actually) would cost us $40 per hour. We nixed the idea.

If a publisher is willing to pay a lawyer $500 an hour to protect itself from lawsuits, you’d figure they’d be willing to shell out $40 an hour for truth. A very basic fact check—is this person and story real—could be performed in like 6 hours or under $500. Recalling 19,000 hardcovers must cost hundreds of thousands. Just a thought, Riverhead…

TAGS: A Milli, attack, BOOKS, debate, GOP, HBO, Hillary, Iraq, Islam, leak, mccain, missing, NATO, New Hampshire, New York, obama, Ohio, political, Politics, Practice, Review, Slam, Tim Russert, war

A Creeping Partition…

Wednesday, February 27, 2008 - 7:51 pm (EST)
By Erin

The international media is giving little play to Kosovo this week (a skim through BBC, CNN and Al Jazeera International sites turned up virtually nothing), and maybe rightly so. The declaration has been made, no embassies have been torched since Thursday, and without Milosevic at the helm, who is going to march in the ultra-nationalists in the name of a greater Serbia?

Hopefully the days of the so-called Balkan powder keg are dying — where wars are fought under the pretense of religion, territory, and ethnic purity — and Kosovo’s “ethnic cleansing” of the 1990s will be the last we’ll hear of the region in turmoil.

But a far more interesting story is playing out in Kosovo right now, one that the media is largely missing and that could have major implications for how things play out in the Balkans.

The international newswires, for their part, have been fairly consistent in reporting from the ground, and several decent pieces have been picked up by the International Herald Tribune. In this case, it’s not so much the writing, but simply the documentation of events.

It’s the “creeping” partition of northern Kosovo by ethnic Serbs. It’s true, Serb tanks aren’t rolling into Mitrovica (yet), but this division is a grassroots one — one that makes it all the more genuine and all the more likely to spark violence later on down the line.

I hate being alarmist and writing unending predictions of bloodshed. We shouldn’t assume they’ll start killing each other just because it’s the Balkans. But the groundwork is being laid for another territorial-cum-ethnic conflict in Kosovo and southern Serbia, whether it comes in several months or 50 years.

Per the Reuters story on Zupce, makeshift border posts are being set up by ethnic Serbs. Robinson writes:

“In Zupce, Serb cars without registration plates drove slowly up to the ‘checkpoint’ every 20 minutes, turning and driving back below Serbian flags flying from trees. A policeman waved through a Serb car, and stopped an Albanian to check his papers.”

This certainly isn’t the most frightening piece of news, but I think it’s an indication of what’s to come: an ethnic-based division.

Danish soldiers set up camp in the northern Albanian village of Cabra — complete with armored vehicles — that, if Kosovo were partitioned, would be severed from the rest of Kosovo by majority Serb areas.

Ethnic Albanian police forces have yet to return to man the border posts burned by Kosovo Serbs last week, and Serb policeman, who make-up part of Kosovo’s “multiethnic” police force, coordinate their movements through the United Nations mission rather than Pristina.

Hardline Serb leaders in the north are pledging more violence if Thaci’s government exercises jurisdiction, and even Pristina hasn’t been forthcoming about how it intends to assert control over Serb-dominated areas.

AP reports:

“Milan Ivanovic, a Serb leader from the northern Kosovo town of Kosovska Mitrovica, said Kosovo’s new leaders were wrong to assume that they might assert the authority of the new state in the predominantly Serb area. About 50,000 Serbs in the north have pledged not to recognize the new state and to continue to consider themselves part of Serbia.”

While talk is cheap, as they say, and an all-out conflict in an internationally-supervised nation seems unlikely, we should continue to watch as the Serbs set up checkpoints — albeit flimsy ones — drive out Albanian bureaucrats and policeman, and slowly establish their defacto Serb Kosovar entity in the north.

Not only will it thwart the construction of a viable Kosovo — if such a thing existed — but is likely to become a major factor in the establishment of a pro-Western, energy-rich satellite in the Balkans, and might explode as part of the Euro/US-Russian resource wars expected to play out in the region in the coming decades.

TAGS: balkans, kosovo, missing, mitrovica, russia, serbia, united nations, war

Hillary Admits Mistake; Iraq Says, “Turkey Out Now!”

Wednesday, February 27, 2008 - 4:08 am (EST)
By Ray LeMoine

At tonight’s debate, when asked by Tim Russert if she had any regrets, Hillary Clinton admits she would take back her 2002 authorization for war in Iraq. She shifts to “fighter” with “regrets” as Texas and Ohio loom. But was she too bitchy? Obama was rock solid, neither gaining nor giving up much ground. Foreign policy was largely missing from debate, but NAFTA/free trade pandering was full on.

(Damon Winter, NYT.)

The Iraqis want Turkey to stop their invasion of Northern Iraq, but there was no mention of it in debate:

The Iraqi government on Tuesday condemned Turkey’s raids into northern Iraq and demanded that Turkey withdraw its troops, as fighting continued for a sixth day between Turkish forces and Kurdish rebels.

How does this work? One NATO country asks another NATO country to stop fighting terror in same place. Hmmm…

TAGS: debate, free, Hillary, Hillary Clinton, Iraq, missing, NATO, obama, Ohio, Politics, Texas, Tim Russert, Trade, war

Hillary down wit Dipset? And Pakistan

Tuesday, February 19, 2008 - 4:10 pm (EST)
By Ray LeMoine

Today’s Reads
Adios, Amigo

Sure, Castro sucked as a President, but he did wage one of the most effective Leftist insurgencies ever, overthrowing a corrupt US backed dictator in the process. If you ever get the chance, do visit Castro’s revolutionary Sierra Maestra hideaway. It’s preserved, and is a cool compound with tree houses and other crude infrastructure.

1. New Republic Goes Whigger
In possibly the worst political piece of the campaign, TNR tries comparing Hill and Bam with Jigga and Killa. I can’t believe this exists but read on…

Why Obama Is Jay-Z and Hillary Is Cam’ronGuest poster Adam Leon, co-proprietor of the popular Philly/NYC music blog BadmintonStamps, offers his take on the recent controversy over Barack Obama’s alleged plagiarism.

First off, Philly has exactly one world class rapper, Freeway, and one great rap drummer, Questlove. Having someone from Philly discussing New York rap is insulting. I bet this Leon guy is a honky to boot.

Hillary?

Obama?

Hillary Clinton’s plagiarism ploy brings to mind the classic beef between rappers Cam’ron and Jay-Z. In 2006, Cam’ron released several dis tracks aimed at his former labelmate, the generally unimpeachable Jay-Z. The fracas stemmed from Jay’s decision to leave Roc-A-Fella Records for the presidency of another label, Def Jam, a move that Cam’ron, who always played second (or third) fiddle to Jay in terms of sales and esteem, felt disrespected both himself and Jay’s former business partner, Damon Dash.

One of the songs Cam dropped was “Swagger Jacker,” a seven-and-a-half-minute epic sonic collage sampling instances where Jay-Z “plagiarized” from other rappers. The parallels to Hillary’s YouTube dis video are undeniable. Both Hillary and Cam’ron, unable to gain the respect or popularity of their rival, resort to calling their opponent a plagiarist. The arguments are thin at best, although at least Cam included multiple examples. As Noam Scheiber (No’am?) pointed out, almost all politicians bite each others’ rhymes, and Senator Clinton is in no way a stranger to the practice. The same is true in hip-hop, where rappers often pay homage to their peers by “borrowing” their lines. This is why “Swagger Jacker” was greeted with a generally tepid reception.

Killa has way more street cred (rap’s gold standard) than Jigga. His popularity in New York among blacks is bigger, too. Dipset tees are everywhere. Roc-a-Wear is big at JCPenny in Delaware. And Cam’s known for dropping 18-bar mixtape beasts. Meanwhile Jigga’s been struggling with an identity crisis since the Black Album—is he a CEO or an American Gangster?

Jay-Z came out the victor in the beef, in part because he reacted with no more than a shrug, refusing to release a response song directly aimed at his foe. Jay was able to position himself as above such childish and desperate mud-slinging, a strategy Senator Obama seems to have successfully, um, borrowed. –Adam Leon

Actually Jigga lost the beef when Cam said “How can you be the King of New York when you wear flip flops and jeans?” the most oft-quoted—and best—line of that summer.

While Bam and Hill are running for the same office, you can’t really compare Jigga and Killa. They operate on different on different paradigms: Jigga does Bud commercials; Cam argues with the Coop and Bill O Reilly about killing “snitches.” Jigga owns the Spotted Pig. Cam drives a purple Lambo in Harlem. Jigga lives in the Trump Tower (lame). Cam disappeared from Earth for six months this year. Jigga hans out with “that nigga Coldplay.” Cam hangs with wanted Bloods’ kingpins:

NYPost—Federal marshals searching for a notorious Bloods drug thug say their man has ties to hip-hoppers and was spotted at an event hosted by rap star Cam’ron last summer. Gomes, 27, has been on the run since December 2005, when cops and federal agents busted a massive Co-op City crack and gun-selling ring, arresting 16 members of the operation, marshals say.

The feds say he’s the lead suspect in a Co-op City shooting and is wanted in a shooting in North Carolina in which he blasted a waiter at a diner. And now the feds are looking into Gomes’ possible links to Cam’ron’s label, Dipset, which is run by former Harlem drug dealer Ezekiel “Freekey Zekey” Jiles. The feds say a tipster told them Gomes was at a Cam’ron party in Harlem in July. A spokesman for Cam’ron said he “has nothing to do with anyone who is a fugitive.” Anyone with information should call (877) WANTED2.

Johnny Gomes, Cam’s “campaign manager”…

When was the last time Jigga was this hood? 97? When he stabbed UN Rivera in 02?Frankly, I’d rather be Dipset than sellout Jigga. Both Bam and Hill are sellouts, though, taking $5 million in campaign donations from Wall St last year (about the same as Jigga’s Madison Ave haul).

2. Joe Biden in Pakistan

A Sufi drummer, always big hash smokers, celebrates elections in Lahore.
By Warrick Page, Getty Images
In what may be the first ever campaign for Secretary of State, Joe Biden traveld to Pakistan to observe the elections. PPP (the Bhuttos) and PML-N (former Prez Nawaz Sharif’s party) made major gains. Musharraff’s party, PML-Q, lost big time, and his fate is now in balance. Also, some good news: MQM, the Islamic coalition, got slammed. So much for Pakistan’s nukes falling into the hands of Islamists. Anyway, Biden was up on CNN yesterday. I like what he’s saying, as do Pakistanis:

Mr. Biden said: “I don’t buy into the argument that Musharraf is the only one. We have to have more than just a Musharraf policy.” As a starting point for a new policy, Mr. Biden said the United States needed to show Pakistanis that Washington was interested in more than the campaign against terrorism. He suggested that economic development aid be tripled to $1.5 billion annually.

Good call on increasing development aid, Joe. If that money went to NWFP and FATA, we could really make an impact in turning local population against the Taliban. The Pashtuns desperately need more schools, better roads, and access to medical clinics.

Taliban is plural of Talib, which means students. Talibs are drawn from the local population because a) they’re uneducated and b) there’s no jobs. A doctrine of anti-Imperialism and Islam combines in convincing them to fight, much like we Americans use Patriotism and anti-terrorism as motivators for our military.

In Pakistani Kashmir, after the 2006 earthquake, the US was popular with locals because our Army was leading the relief effort. Maybe an Anbar-style turnaround, ala Awakening Councils, could happen in FATA if we do more good there.

We should refrain from missing too many targets with Predator’s Hellfires, which has happened before. Today the WaPost reports on CIA’s sovereign violations in FATA fighting against Al Qaeda:

Officials say the incident was a model of how Washington often scores its rare victories these days in the fight against al-Qaeda inside Pakistan’s national borders: It acts with assistance from well-paid sympathizers inside the country, but without getting the government’s formal permission beforehand.

On orders from CIA officials in McLean, the operators in Nevada released the Predator’s two AGM-114 Hellfire missiles — 100-pound, rocket-propelled munitions tipped with a high-explosive warhead. The missiles tore into the compound’s main building and an adjoining guesthouse where the al-Qaeda officers were believed to be staying.

Even when viewed from computer monitors thousands of miles away, the missiles’ impact was stunning. The buildings were destroyed, and as many as 13 inhabitants were killed, U.S. officials said. The pictures captured after the attack were “not pretty,” said one knowledgeable source.

Killing one Al Qaeda operative might not be worth the risk. Suppose you miss and kill civilians. Then there’s that many more potential Talibs, as revenge is the Pashtun honor code. We missed a target in Jan 2006. Our Hellfire killed 20 civilians. Pakistan endured a day of nationwide anti-US protests. And picking off one terrorist doesn’t affect the overall network. This policy should be condemned by Dems, though Obama basically said in the NH debate that his policy would be the same, so…

TAGS: Al-Qaeda, attack, Barack Obama, Crack, debate, election, free, Hillary, Hillary Clinton, Islam, Jay, missing, model, Music, NATO, New York, obama, political, Practice, Schools, Slam, Taliban, Travel, Video, war, youtube

designer junk-mail dresses

Friday, February 15, 2008 - 7:05 am (EST)
By John LaCroix

“JUNK MAIL: From Debris to Design” at 79 Gallery in SF

Bart lost power and we got semi stranded on the way missing the press conference today. Here’s a couple pics from the show. Lissa’s is the colorful one.

Click an image to open a slideshow.

TAGS: missing

Bloody Social Nights: The Ballad of Burke and Biden

Thursday, February 14, 2008 - 9:02 pm (EST)
By Ray LeMoine

New York Magazine commissioned this feature in summer 2007, but it never ran. My job was to spend a few months following the band Bloody Social, who feature “It Boy” male model Jamie Burke on vox and Drew Beat from Bold on drums. It’s was a wild rided. There’s even a Lohan cameo or two. And Kate Moss gets fucked. My editor quit right as the story was finishing up, but it still probably wouldn’t have run—too much sex and drugs. In summer 07 no one downtown raged like Bloody Social. I still consider them the most unique band in Manhattan. Working for months on something for nothing is soul destroying, and I couldn’t even look at this thing for the last half year. But here it is. Endless thanks to Adam Fisher. Also, to Vegas and JZ for being the kings of NY nightlife.