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Monday, March 10, 2008 |
Emperors Club: All About Eliot Spitzer's Prostitution Ring. Eliot Spitzer has announced he is involved with a prostitution ring called the Emperor's Club.
Last week The Smoking Gun posted papers about the international prostitution ring being busted. The high priced call girls were rated in diamonds on the club's website:
An international call girl ring that solicited wealthy male clients via a web site that rated its hookers on a scale of diamonds (and charged accordingly) has been busted by federal agents. The operators of the New York-based Emperors Club were named in a felony complaint unsealed today in U.S. District Court in Manhattan.
The New York Times wrote about the bust.
Federal authorities arrested four people Thursday on charges of running an online prostitution ring that serviced clients in New York, Paris and other cities and took in more than $1 million in profits over four years.
The ring, known as the Emperor's Club V.I.P., had 50 prostitutes available for appointments in New York, Washington, Miami, London and Paris, according to a complaint unsealed on Thursday in Federal District Court in Manhattan. The appointments, made by telephone or through an online booking service, cost $1,000 to $5,500 [scroll down for fee page] an hour and could be paid for with cash, credit card, wire transfers or money orders, the complaint said.
The New York Sun reports how managerial challenges helped bring it down:
Several phone numbers associated with Emperors Club have been under surveillance by the FBI, which intercepted more than 5,000 telephone calls and text messages during the investigation, according to court documents.
Excerpts of those intercepted calls, provided in court documents, offer a window onto some of the managerial challenges that confronted the four defendants who allegedly managed the operation. In them, the managers discuss how some of the Emperor Club prostitutes had difficulty taking imprints of their clients' American Express cards, making it difficult to charge them. Prostitutes weren't always punctual in arriving at their engagements. There were scheduling conflicts to resolve caused by the photo shoots of the women who modeled during the day. And clients called in wanting to know what they should tell their accountants about the expenses they were racking up with the Emperors Club.
The website for Emperor's Club, since taken down, said this:
Emperors' Club vip is the most preferred international social introduction service for those accustomed to excellence. Introducing the most impressive models to leading gentleman of the world is our expertise. We specialize in introductions of: fashion models, pageant winners and exquisite students, graduates and women of successful careers (finance, art, media etc...) to gentlemen of exceptional standards. When seeking an evening date, a weekend travel companion, or a friend to accompany you during your next business / social function our models are perfect preference.
We act for a select group of educated, refined and successful international clients who give their best in all they do and who, in return, only wish to receive the best. Catering to clients who will not compromise in any area of their life...
Our meticulous standards of beauty, intelligence and charm ensure that you always encounter the quality you've come to expect in a woman, when with an Emperors' Club vip model. Each of our companions is a product of an exceptionally fine background and a success in her right. All rendezvous are individually crafted to suit the needs of your specific occasion. Note that each model has place in her schedule for a select number of appointments per month, so your date will be a special one for both of you.
Our goal is to make life more peaceful, balanced, beautiful and meaningful. We honor commitment to our clients as we covet long-term relationships of trust and mutual benefit. Experience for yourself a service of obvious distinction...
Here is the page for "Anais," a "model, actress, dancer, superstar..."
A page of the portfolio:
Alana:
Samantha:
The ladies went for as much as $31,000 per day for a "seven diamond" rated girl:
Screengrab of the fees (and package rates):
 [The Full Feed from HuffingtonPost.com]
3:35:21 PM 
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Danny Jacobs and Darren Grodsky: Telling Tales From "Humboldt County".
Dear Huffington Post Readers:
Let us introduce ourselves. We are Darren Grodsky and Danny Jacobs, best friends and filmmaking collaborators since the ripe old age of six who hail from St. Louis, MO. If you've never been to St. Louis, try the toasted ravioli. It'll melt your soul with deliciousness. Our first feature, Humboldt County, premiered Friday, March 7th, at the South by Southwest (SXSW) Film Festival in Austin, Texas and we'd be lying if we said that we weren't excited about that.
We've been working on this film for five years. That's longer than a presidential term for Pete's sake. How could two, relatively intelligent people choose to devote that much time to one project, you ask? Good question. I have no idea. Actually, I think I do...
This was simply a story we had to tell. For those who have never been to Humboldt, it is one of the northernmost counties in California and boasts one of the largest undeveloped swaths of coastal property in the United States. It is, without a doubt, one of the most beautiful places you have ever seen - sandwiched between the humbling redwood forests and the vast Pacific Ocean. It also happens to be the marijuana capital of the United States. It is there, hidden in the woods of Southern Humboldt that the last vestiges of the once broad hippie subculture still remain. In the late seventies, many in the movement had become convinced that the "free love" and "peace unto the world" ideals had died a murky death amid Watergate break-ins and increasing deaths in a faraway place called Vietnam. In that environment, most of the young people who had marched and protested became part of the money-making culture of the 80s. A stubborn few, however, retreated from the world, moved to the middle of the Northern California wilderness and started growing pot as their cash crop.
These people were not un-educated, un-cultured low-lifes mind you. They were people like Darren's uncle, who was a UCLA physics professor until 1980 when he couldn't take the state of the world any longer and moved his family to Humboldt, where he remained for the rest of his life. That choice is both a courageous act of boldness and a monumental display of cowardice all rolled into one.
Darren and I have always wondered what our generation's role in the world is supposed to be. After all, our parents came from the hippie generation, arguably one of the most passionate and idealistic in the modern age. Plus, they were rebels. That's supposed to be our job! How does the son rebel against the father when the father is, himself, a rebel? In Humboldt County, we found our answer. There, tucked away from the world, are the biggest rebels there are. And we were excited to tell their story, and in doing so, tell a part of our story.
With an amazing cast consisting of Fairuza Balk, Frances Conroy, Brad Dourif and Peter Bogdanovich, we were able make a film that captured the essence of the American films of the 70s that we love so dearly; films like Five Easy Pieces, Harold and Maude, and The Last Picture Show.
Humboldt County is a film we had to make because we felt a deep compunction to understand our place in the world. And what better way to explore that than alongside pot growing physics professors in the middle of the woods? Now that's worth five years.
If you find yourself in Austin for the festival, come by our screenings and say hello. Here's when we're playing:
Friday, March 7th at 6 PM at the Alamo Drafthouse, downtown
Tuesday, March 11th at 9:30 PM at the Alamo Lamar
Thursday, March 13th at 1:30 PM at the Alamo Lamar
Or check out our website for more information: www.humboldtcountymovie.com
 [The Full Feed from HuffingtonPost.com]
12:22:19 PM
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House Sues White House Officials. The House Judiciary Committee filed suit Monday to force former White House Counsel Harriet Miers and White House chief of staff Joshua Bolten to provide information about the firing of U.S. attorneys.
The lawsuit filed in federal court says Miers is not immune from the obligation to testify and that she and Bolten must identify all [...] [CommonDreams.org » Headlines07]
11:55:56 AM
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David Gregory Headlines New Show in Tucker's Timeslot. MSNBC announced a slate of changes this afternoon, leading with their new election-themed show: "Race For The White House" with David Gregory. The NBC White House correspondent has been a utility player at NBC/MSNBC for some time, regularly stepping in as a guest host — and demonstrating his range — on the "Today Show" and "Meet The Press." Gregory also took over the timeslot left vacant by Don Imus last April, temporarily stepping in to the breach before the network began trying out different hosts in that timeslot. The show will premiere on March 17th.
Also, "Live with Dan Abrams" is officially undergoing a name change to "Verdict with Dan Abrams," which will also launch on March 17th. The name change has been in the works for some time but had been on hold during the heated political primary run.
As well, NBC NewsChief Foreign Affairs Correspondent Andrea Mitchell will be anchoring MSNBC each weekday afternoon from 1-2 p.m. ET. Mitchell has regularly been seen anchoring politics-heavy MSNBC dayside coverage (often in the 12pm block); in taking over the 1-2 p.m. block she'll be permanently occupying the slot that NBC anchor Brian Williams typically takes.
Finally, fear not for the fate of poor usurped Tucker Carlson — he remains with the network as a correspondent and will continue to be sprinkled throughout the schedule as a panelist and contributor.
Other program notes from MSNBC includes trying out something new with programming in the later evening hours, reshuffling its "Doc Block" programming which has been running from 10-12 before rerunning "Countdown with Keith Olbermann." Now, Olbermann, which airs live at 8 pm, will re-run at 10 pm and the "Doc Block" will run from 11pm - 2 am. "Hardball" typically re-runs at 3a.m. and Dan Abrams' show at 4 a.m. before kicking off live programming with MSNBC First Look at 5 a.m.; details on what will occupy the now-freed-up 2.am. hour to follow.
The full press release is below.
Related:
David Gregory, NBC Utility Player [ETP]
- THE PLACE FOR POLITICS - EXPANDS POLITICAL PROGRAMMING WITH "RACE FOR THE WHITE HOUSE WITH DAVID GREGORY" PREMIERING MARCH 17
"Countdown with Keith Olbermann" to Re-Air at 10pm and 2am ET
"Verdict with Dan Abrams" Launches March 17
Andrea Mitchell to Anchor Weekdays 1-2 pm; "Doc Block" Expands to 11pm-2am
NEW YORK - March 10, 2008 - MSNBC, the Place for Politics, is expanding its already substantial political programming lineup next week as the 2008 presidential race continues to heat up. NBC News Chief White House Correspondent David Gregory will anchor "Race for the White House," a fast-paced daily look at the latest election news, weekdays, 6-7 p.m. ET on MSNBC. "Race for the White House" premieres Monday, March 17, and will continue through the election and beyond as the nation's focus continues on the historic Presidential campaign. Also bolstering MSNBC's political coverage, NBC News' Andrea Mitchell will anchor MSNBC each weekday afternoon, 1-2 p.m. ET
MSNBC's top-rated "Countdown with Keith Olbermann" will now telecast twice in primetime, with a re-air weeknights at 10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT. "Countdown" will also air weeknights at 11 p.m. PT/2 a.m. ET; the original telecast remains at 8 p.m. ET. MSNBC is also expanding the "doc block," which will now telecast weeknights, 11 p.m.-2 a.m. ET/8 p.m.-11 p.m. PT.
Also March 17, "Live with Dan Abrams" re-launches as "Verdict with Dan Abrams," an hour-long look at the day's news from a legal perspective, and expands to five nights a week. Each day "Verdict" will assess right from wrong and determine the winners and losers in politics, law and pop culture. In this political season, Abrams will continue to use his legal eye to stay "On Their Trail" separating fact from fiction, identifying and exposing the candidate's biggest misstatements, cheap shots and blunders, while continuing viewer-favorite segments "Beat the Press" and "Winners and Losers." "Verdict" will telecast weekdays, 9-10 p.m. ET.
"Race for the White House with David Gregory" will feature reports from MSNBC and NBC News correspondents around the country with the latest breaking political news and in-depth analysis of the campaigns. Tucker Carlson will remain with the network as MSNBC Senior Campaign Correspondent and will appear regularly throughout MSNBC's program lineup.
"Viewers are incredibly engaged this election season, with a real appetite for political news," said Phil Griffin, Senior Vice President, NBC News and Executive in Charge of MSNBC. "As NBC News' Chief White House Correspondent, David is the perfect person to lead this key hour of our election coverage. Tucker is one of the top political minds inside the Beltway, and we look forward to continuing to feature his insightful analysis."
Gregory has led the network's coverage of the Bush presidency since 2000, reporting regularly on "NBC Nightly News with Brian Williams," "Today," MSNBC and on MSNBC.com. He has circled the globe, traveling with President Bush on every major foreign trip and to nearly every state in the nation during the presidential campaigns of 2000 and 2004.
In the fall of 2005, Gregory began substituting regularly for Matt Lauer on "Today." He has served as substitute moderator on "Meet the Press," and has been a substitute anchor for the weekend editions of "Nightly News" and "Today." As a political commentator, Gregory is a frequent contributor on "Meet the Press" and the syndicated "Chris Matthews" show.
Andrea Mitchell is the Chief Foreign Affairs Correspondent for NBC News, a position she has held since November 1994. Mitchell has also covered Sen. Clinton's presidential campaign, the 2004 presidential campaign for NBC News and is a regular panelist on MSNBC's "Hardball."
Built on the worldwide resources of NBC News, MSNBC defines news for the next generation with world-class reporting and a full schedule of live news coverage, political analysis and award-winning documentary programming -- 24 hours a day, seven days a week. MSNBC's home on the Internet is msnbc.com. Msnbc.com delivers a fuller spectrum of news. Drawing on its award-winning original journalism, NBC News heritage, trusted sources and Microsoft's advanced technologies, the site presents compelling, diverse and visually-engaging stories on the consumer's platform of choice. Nielsen Online reports more than 35 million unique visitors for January 2008, making msnbc.com the number one TV news site, ahead of ABC, CBS, and Fox News combined.
Members of the media can get more information about MSNBC and its programming on msnbc.com or the NBC Universal Media Village Web site at www.nbcumv.com.
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 [The Full Feed from HuffingtonPost.com]
11:52:36 AM
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ALTHOUGH THIS IS MY BLOG, IT ISN'T OFTEN THAT I WRITE MY OWN OPINIONS HERE. BUT NOW I JUST CAN'T HELP IT.
JOHN MCCAIN HAD IMPRESSED ME WITH ONE THING IN HIS CAREER - HIS RENUNCIATION OF TORTURE. WHEN OTHERS TALKED ABOUT WHAT TERRORISTS WERE WILLING TO DO TO AMERICANS AS JUSTIFICATION FOR TORTURE, MCCAIN QUIPPED - "THIS IS NOT ABOUT WHO THEY ARE ... IT'S ABOUT WHO WE ARE."
THAT NAILED IT. SHORT AND SWEET AND ACCURATE. IT LET ME SLEEP AT NIGHT COMFORTABLE THAT THERE WERE STILL THOSE IN POWER, THOSE WITH WHOM I HAD STRONG DISAGREEMENTS ON POLICY AND POLITICS, WHO WERE AT HEART AMERICANS AND HELD IN THEIR HEARTS ALL THAT I THOUGHT THAT ENTAILED.
AND NOW, WHO WE ARE IS A QUESTION THAT I CANNOT ANSWER.
MCCAIN HIMSELF HAS SUPPORTED THE VETO OF A BILL THAT WOULD HAVE SPECIFICALLY CODIFIED INTO LAW AN ABSOLUTE BAN WITHOUT GRAY AREA OF TORTURE BEING COMMITTED BY OUR CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE AGENCY.
ONE MIGHT HAVE THOUGHT THAT WAS ALREADY THE CASE.
APPARENTLY NOT.
HOW CAN THERE BE A QUESTION IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA OF THE LEGALITY - NO, THE MORALITY! OF TORTURE?
IT'S THE MORALITY THAT SHOULD CAUSE THE QUESTION OF THE LEGALITY TO BE MOOT. TORTURE IS IMMORAL.
HOW DO WE TAKE OUR NATION BACK INTO THE REALM OF MORALITY? OH I KNOW ABOUT THE HISTORICAL MISDEEDS OF THIS NATION AND SOME OF THOSE ARE GARGANTUAN. BUT THAT LARGELY HAPPENED WITHOUT THE KNOWLEDGE OF THE MASSES OF PEOPLE. IT HAS COMFORTED ME TO BELIEVE THAT WHEN THE AMERICAN PEOPLE KNOW THAT ITS GOVERNMENT HAS PERPETRATED HORRIFIC CRIMES, THEY ARE INCENSED, DEMAND ACCOUNTABILITY, DECRY THE DEEDS FOR WHAT THEY ARE.
YET IN THIS CASE IT IS NOT HAPPENING.
MY HUSBAND SAYS IT'S BECAUSE AMERICANS HAVE BECOME COMPLACENT. OTHERS BELIEVE AMERICANS ARE STILL ENTRENCHED IN FEAR.
I FIND THOSE EXPLANATIONS SORELY WANTING, FOR SURELY COMPLACENCY AND FEAR CANNOT CAUSE A RIGHTEOUS PEOPLE TO LOSE THEIR VIRTUE.
WHAT HAS HAPPENED TO OUR COLLECTIVE SOUL? WHAT HAS HAPPENED TO DECENCY, JUSTICE AND NOBILITY? IS THERE NO CLEAR SENSE OF RIGHT AND WRONG ANY MORE? IF WE CANNOT SEE THE WRONGNESS IN TORTURE, WHO CAN TRUST OUR JUDGEMENT TO SEE THE WRONGNESS - OR THE RIGHTNESS - IN ANY ACT?
HAVE WE - EVEN THE LITTLE PEOPLE IN AMERICA, SUPPOSEDLY ITS BACKBONE AND ITS MORAL CENTER - FALLEN INTO THE HELLISH ABYSS OF GREED AND CAPITALISM THAT IT HAS BECOME OUR NEW UNSTATED GOD?
HAVE WE NOW NO SCRUPLES? HOW CAN WE RECOVER OR REDISCOVER OUR LOST SOUL?
PT
10:17:12 AM
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© Copyright 2008 Patricia Thurston.
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