• Swine Flu at the prep: terror knows no limits! [Gawker]

• What with all that billion dollar thieving and civil suit hullabaloo, J. Ezra Merkin decides it might be a good time to stop managing his three Madoff Ponzi pawns hedge funds. [WSJ] More»

• The America's Next Top Model auditions went much better this time, with a beefy police presence and better organization [Gothamist]

• Fashion throwdown over Michelle Obama's outfits on the European trip - Alaïa says de la Renta "is no longer." [WWD]

• Members of the Madoff clan are hiring a consultant to help them survive prison - why do they still have any money to do that? [NYP]

• Blair speaks! (well, Leighton Meester does) Talking about fashiony dinner with Jason Wu (Leighton), and going to college (Blair) [NYT]

• Don't get your hopes up too much; even with the falling real estate market, asking your landlord for a rent break might not work out [NYMag]

Cityfile acquired the statements of the Walter and Monica Noel Family Foundation for 2006 which showed $169,000 in donations. Compared to the many millions of dollars in fees he made funneling his investors money into Bernard Madoff, it seems relatively small.  And given the large overhead costs of running a foundation it almost seems not really worth the effort.  Moreover, many of the "donations" look to be in the amount of a ticket or "social toll" to a charity gala, essentially a write off for a night on the town. Opinions aside, their giving could have ramped up a lot in '07 and '08, we simply don't know.  But what other "charitable" interests or hobbies did they have other than "giving" to Bernie Madoff? More»