March « 2010 « James Verini

Archive for March, 2010

Will Success Spoil MySpace?

Saturday, March 6th, 2010

VANITY FAIR
March, 2006
By James Verini

On the second level of a shopping mall in Costa Mesa, California, a short drive down the Pacific Coast Highway from Los Angeles, is a nightclub called Sutra Lounge. Don’t let the location fool you: to the partying young suburbanites in these parts, there is nothing incongruous about a nightclub in a shopping mall. (Shopping is fun; clubs are fun; there you have it.) And anyway, once you’re inside Sutra, you could be anywhere—anywhere in the vicinity of Los Angeles, that is.

At around one a.m. on a Monday, Sutra is pulsing with that special brand of synthetic Southern Californian abandonment. Tanned, toned girls in denim skirts no wider than cummerbunds rub up against surfers and real-estate pashas as actress-waitresses pass by carrying trays loaded down with bottles of Grey Goose vodka. Professional dancers make mock love to assorted poles and railings. There is enough silicone bobbing around to improve the Statue of Liberty’s self-image. See Full Story

Posted in Vanity Fair | Comments Off

The Pruner

Saturday, March 6th, 2010

WASHINGTON MONTHLY
June 2006
By James Verini

Is Rep. Jeff Flake the House’s John McCain?

Insubordination was not exactly a hallmark of the DeLay era, so when two young Republican congressmen led a drive to force leadership elections and summarily toss Rep. Tom DeLay (R-Texas) from his majority leader post, it was a pretty clear sign that things had changed. Only a food fight in the House cafeteria could have better spelled out the end of DeLay’s once vaunted and feared iron discipline. No longer could he send dissident caucus members scurrying back into line with a withering glare or a threat to cut spending in their district. Now he was the one being told–and by upstarts!–that it was time to go. (more…)

Posted in Washington Monthly | Comments Off

Two If By Sea

Saturday, March 6th, 2010

THE AMERICAN PROSPECT
March 2005
By James Verini

Last October, Osama bin Laden released his first videotaped message in nearly three years. It was lengthier than anything he’d sent out for a while because he got wrapped up in business talk. “So we are continuing this policy in bleeding America to the point of bankruptcy,” he said, quoting the British Royal Institute of International Affairs to point out that in the September 11 attacks, “Every dollar of al-Qaeda defeated a million dollars by the permission of Allah, besides the loss of a huge number of jobs.” He went on to ridicule America’s deficits.

If you were an al-Qaeda cell member egged on by this, you would likely fantasize about the port complex of Los Angeles. It is, arguably, the single most attractive target for economic terrorism in the country. By volume, the two ports that comprise it — the Port of Los Angeles and the Port of Long Beach — are the third-busiest port in the world. A 20-minute drive south of downtown L.A., it is America’s umbilical cord to world trade. An attack there would cripple the national economy instantly and send shockwaves the globe over. Even a sloppily planned incident would cost billions. And yet, more than three years after 9-11, after hundreds of millions of dollars spent on risk assessments and plans, the L.A. port is still, essentially, an open bull’s-eye. See Full Story

Posted in The American Prospect | Comments Off

Small Hours: Enjoy his clubs while you can

Saturday, March 6th, 2010

LOS ANGELES TIMES
July 29, 2006
By James Verini

On a recent Saturday night, the parking lot outside of the West Hollywood nightclub Privilege was reminiscent of a movie theater before the release of a new “Star Wars” movie. The men and women lined up in their miniskirts and expertly torn jeans were better-looking, of course, and did not carry toy light sabers, but the frisson of anticipation was the same, as was the size of the crowd, which motorcycle police and bouncers tried unsuccessfully to hem in. Everyone buzzed about Privilege as though it were the latest thing. (more…)