Tuesday, May 19, 2009
Texas Doesn't Lead the Way
But then neither does New York.
GQ Magazine food writer Alan Richman singles out Mortadella Pie from Great Lake pizzeria at 1477 West Balmoral Avenue as having the best he's tasted after traveling 20,000 miles searching for the perfect pie."
[. . . .]
And here's GQ's 25 Best list:
- Chicago: Great Lake - Mortadella Pie
- Brooklyn: Lucali - Plain Pie
- San Francisco: Pizzeria Delfina - Panna Pie
- Phoenix: Pizzeria Bianco - Margherita With Prosciutto
- Providence: Bob & Timmy's - "Spinach-And-Mushroom Pizza"
- New Haven, CT: Sally's Apizza - "White Pie With Potato"
- Los Angeles: Tomato Pie -"The Grandma"
- New York City: Co. - "Margherita"
- Philadelphia: Tacconelli's - "White Pie"
- Brooklyn: Totonno's - "Margherita With Pepperoni"
- Port Chester, NY: Tarry Lodge - "Clam Pie"
- New Haven, CT: Frank Pepe - "The Original Tomato Pie"
- Harrison Township, MI.: Luigi's "the Original" - "Gourmet Veggie Pizza"
- San Francisco: Gialina - "Wild-Nettle Pie"
- Detroit: Buddys - "Cheese Pizza"
- Marina Del Rey: Antica Pizzeria - "Pizza Del Cafone"
- San Francisco: A16 - "Romana Pie"
- Providence, RI: Al Forno - "Grilled Pizza With Roasted Eggplant"
- Boston: Galleria Umberto - "Square Slice"
- New York City: Famous Joes - "Slice"
- Farmington Hills, MI.: Tomatoes Apizza - "Pepperoni Pie"
- Philadelphia: Osteria - "Zucca Pie"
- Boston: Santarpio's - "Homemade-Sausage Pie"
- Detroit: Niki's - "Cheese Pizza With Feta"
- New York City: Una Pizza Napoletana - "Margherita"
Anthony Awards Nominations
Bouchercon 2009 World Mystery Convention, ANTHONY AWARDS: "2009 Anthony Award Nominations"
2009 Anthony Award Nominations Best Novel Trigger City by Sean Chercover [William Morrow] The Brass Verdict by Michael Connelly [Little, Brown and Company] Red Knife by William Kent Krueger [Atria] The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson [Knopf] The Cruelest Month by Louise Penny [Minotaur] Best First Novel Pushing Up Daisies by Rosemary Harris [Minotaur] Stalking Susan by Julie Kramer [Doubleday] The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson [Knopf] Death of a Cozy Writer by G. M. Malliet [Midnight Ink] Child 44 by Tom Rob Smith [Grand Central] Best Paperback Original The First Quarry by Max Allan Collins [Hard Case Crime] Money Shot by Christa Faust [Hard Case Crime] State of the Onion by Julie Hyzy [Berkley] In a Dark Season by Vicki Lane [Dell] South of Hell by P. J. Parrish [Pocket Star] Best Short Story “The Night Things Changed” by Dana Cameron from Wolfsbane and Mistletoe [Ace] “A Sleep Not Unlike Death” by Sean Chercover from Hardcore Hardboiled [Kensington] “Killing Time” by Jane K. Cleland from Alfred Hitchcock's Mystery Magazine (November) “Skull and Cross Examination” by Toni L. P. Kelner from Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine (February) “Scratch a Woman” by Laura Lippman from Hardly Knew Her [William Morrow] “The Secret Lives of Cats” by Kristine Kathryn Rusch from Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine (July) Best Critical Nonfiction Work African American Mystery Writers: A Historical and Thematic Study by Frankie Y. Bailey [McFarland] How to Write Killer Historical Mysteries by Kathy Lynn Emerson[Perseverance Press] Anthony Boucher: A Biobibliography by Jeffrey Marks [McFarland] The Suspicions of Mr. Whicher: A Shocking Murder and the Undoing of a Great Victorian Detective by Kate Summerscale [Walker & Company] Best Children’s/Young Adult Novel The Crossroads by Chris Grabenstein [Random House] Paper Towns by John Green [Dutton Juvenile] Kiss Me, Kill Me by Lauren Henderson [Delacorte] The Mysterious Benedict Society and the Perilous Journey byTrenton Lee Stewart [Little, Brown] Sammy Keyes and the Cold Hard Cash by Wendelin Van Draanen[Knopf] Best Cover Art Death Was the Other Woman designed by David Rotstein and written by Linda L. Richards [Minotaur] Death Will Get You Sober designed by David Rotstein and written by Elizabeth Zelvin [Minotaur] The Fault Tree designed by David Rotstein and written by Louise Ure [Minotaur] The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo designed by Peter Mendelsund and written by Stieg Larsson [Knopf] Money Shot designed by Steve Cooley and written by Christa Faust [Hard Case Crime] Special Service Award Jon and Ruth Jordan Ali Karim David Montgomery Gary Warren Niebuhr Sarah Weinman |
eBay Scam of the Day
KYW Newsradio 1060 Philadelphia - Guilty Plea from Penna. Man in Ebay ''Autographed'' Books Scam: "A Reading, Pa. man has pleaded guilty in federal court in Philadelphia to a book fraud -- forging famous authors' signatures and selling the books on Ebay as signed originals.
Prosecutor Mark Dubnoff says there were at least a thousand victims over several years, and defendant Forrest Smith, 47, took in over $300,000 from the scam.
According to Dubnoff, Smith bought first-edition books by such authors at Truman Capote, James Michener, Norman Mailer, Tom Clancy, Tom Wolfe and others, forged their signatures, and then sold them at inflated prices on Ebay.
For example, Dubnoff says, Smith bought Anne Rice's Interview with the Vampire for $46:
'He sold that same book, this time with a forged signature by Anne Rice in the book, for $566. So his profit was more than 500 dollars on this one book.'"
Prosecutor Mark Dubnoff says there were at least a thousand victims over several years, and defendant Forrest Smith, 47, took in over $300,000 from the scam.
According to Dubnoff, Smith bought first-edition books by such authors at Truman Capote, James Michener, Norman Mailer, Tom Clancy, Tom Wolfe and others, forged their signatures, and then sold them at inflated prices on Ebay.
For example, Dubnoff says, Smith bought Anne Rice's Interview with the Vampire for $46:
'He sold that same book, this time with a forged signature by Anne Rice in the book, for $566. So his profit was more than 500 dollars on this one book.'"
Conflict of Interest
Chapter 2 of Conflict of Interest (Michael Connelly and Terill Lee Lankford's 3-part film leading up to events in Connelly's The Scarecrow) is now up and running in glorious HD. Click here.
No Comment Department
Jamie Foxx to play Frank Sinatra - Music-News.com: "Jamie Foxx is set to play Frank Sinatra in a new biopic.
The Oscar-winning star - who played jazz musician Ray Charles in 'Ray' - is being lined up to portray the legendary Rat Pack singer in a film by Martin Scorsese after film bosses saw similarities between the two stars' backgrounds.
A source said: 'Cool is colour-blind. Jamie would seem to be born to the role."
The Oscar-winning star - who played jazz musician Ray Charles in 'Ray' - is being lined up to portray the legendary Rat Pack singer in a film by Martin Scorsese after film bosses saw similarities between the two stars' backgrounds.
A source said: 'Cool is colour-blind. Jamie would seem to be born to the role."
Komodo Dragon Update
Komodo Dragons 'use poison to kill their prey' - Telegraph: "Scientists thought that the reptiles, which bite their prey and then let them go, allowing them to bleed to death, used only the bacteria from their mouths to hasten their victims' end.
But a new study shows that they use snake-like venom, making them the world's largest poisonous lizard.
'The view that the Komodo routinely kills using dirty oral bacteria is wrong,' said Dr Stephen Wroe from the University of New South Wales in Australia, a co-author of the report. 'The dragon is truly poisonous. It has modified salivary glands that ... allows it to kill large animals through rapid blood loss.'"
But a new study shows that they use snake-like venom, making them the world's largest poisonous lizard.
'The view that the Komodo routinely kills using dirty oral bacteria is wrong,' said Dr Stephen Wroe from the University of New South Wales in Australia, a co-author of the report. 'The dragon is truly poisonous. It has modified salivary glands that ... allows it to kill large animals through rapid blood loss.'"
Garfield in the Sewers?
Police use Taser on fake cougar - Oddities News - redOrbit: "Police in Michigan responding to a report of a cougar on the loose said they ended up shooting a large toy cat with a Taser stun gun.
Warren police said the 911 caller said a huge animal resembling a 150-pound cat was spotted in an old cement drainpipe in Bates Park and 10 officers were sent to the scene, WDIV-TV, Detroit, reported Monday.
The officers saw the outline of the animal in the pipe and shot it with the Taser -- only to discover it was a large toy cougar."
Warren police said the 911 caller said a huge animal resembling a 150-pound cat was spotted in an old cement drainpipe in Bates Park and 10 officers were sent to the scene, WDIV-TV, Detroit, reported Monday.
The officers saw the outline of the animal in the pipe and shot it with the Taser -- only to discover it was a large toy cougar."
Once Again, Texas Leads the Way
News 8 Investigates: Airline mechanics who can't read English | News 8 Investigates |
WFAA.com: "News 8 has recently revealed serious flaws in the way the FAA licenses mechanics who fix planes.
There is evidence of years of problems in testing these mechanics. There is also evidence that hundreds of mechanics with questionable licenses are working on aircraft in Texas."
WFAA.com: "News 8 has recently revealed serious flaws in the way the FAA licenses mechanics who fix planes.
There is evidence of years of problems in testing these mechanics. There is also evidence that hundreds of mechanics with questionable licenses are working on aircraft in Texas."
Once Again, Texas Leads the Way
Cheesy Jesus appears in snack | Metro.co.uk: "In the latest news of Jesus Christ miraculously appearing in snack foods, a couple from Dallas, Texas have found Jesus in a cheesy snack.
The blessed munchy was discovered by Dan and Sara Bell, inside a packet of Cheetos he bought at a petrol station for 99 cents. The snack Jesus stands about two inches tall, and appears to be in an attitude of prayer."
The blessed munchy was discovered by Dan and Sara Bell, inside a packet of Cheetos he bought at a petrol station for 99 cents. The snack Jesus stands about two inches tall, and appears to be in an attitude of prayer."
Hat tip to Jeff Meyerson.
Once Again, Texas Leads the Way
10 Houston men charged with running military-style weapons to Mexico | Front page | Chron.com - Houston Chronicle: "Ten Houston men, including three brothers, were charged Monday in a conspiracy to ship 151 military-style weapons south of the border. It’s the region’s biggest arms-trafficking case since the Obama administration vowed to do more to stem the flow of U.S. guns to Mexican drug cartel soldiers.
Many of the weapons, which court papers indicate were bought by deceiving Houston firearms dealers, were civilian variants of M-16 assault rifles, a weapon used by the U.S. military, and now favored by warring cartels.
The weapons, which go for up to $1,000 apiece on the retail market, were bought in cash, sometimes two or three in a day at the same gun store, court documents indicate."
Many of the weapons, which court papers indicate were bought by deceiving Houston firearms dealers, were civilian variants of M-16 assault rifles, a weapon used by the U.S. military, and now favored by warring cartels.
The weapons, which go for up to $1,000 apiece on the retail market, were bought in cash, sometimes two or three in a day at the same gun store, court documents indicate."
I Knew I Shouldn't Have Retired
Delay retirement to help ward off Alzheimer's disease, scientists say | Mail Online: "As millions face the prospect of extending their working lives to fund pensions, scientists have come up with a silver lining.
Retiring later can delay the risk of developing Alzheimer's disease, their research suggests.
It is thought that keeping the brain active by working later in life helps to keep the condition at bay.
A study by the Institute of Psychiatry at King's College London found that education and periods of unemployment had no effect on dementia risk.
But each extra year of work delayed the onset of Alzheimer's by an average of 18 months."
Retiring later can delay the risk of developing Alzheimer's disease, their research suggests.
It is thought that keeping the brain active by working later in life helps to keep the condition at bay.
A study by the Institute of Psychiatry at King's College London found that education and periods of unemployment had no effect on dementia risk.
But each extra year of work delayed the onset of Alzheimer's by an average of 18 months."
Sleep In, Stay Slim?
Why sleeping more could help you lose weight | Mail Online: "If you want to lose weight the surprising answer is to stay in bed longer.
Those who are 'short sleepers' are more likely to end up overweight even if they are more active than 'long sleepers' during the day, according to new research.
Short sleepers tended to have greater difficulty getting to sleep and staying asleep.
Tests found suffering sleepless nights can disrupt natural hormonal balances. This can reduce levels of the 'hunger hormone' leptin, causing people to eat more."
Those who are 'short sleepers' are more likely to end up overweight even if they are more active than 'long sleepers' during the day, according to new research.
Short sleepers tended to have greater difficulty getting to sleep and staying asleep.
Tests found suffering sleepless nights can disrupt natural hormonal balances. This can reduce levels of the 'hunger hormone' leptin, causing people to eat more."
Monday, May 18, 2009
Congratulations to Henry Melton
Book 'em Benj-O: Congratulations to Henry Melton: "Henry Melton just keeps winning awards. The announcement came out recently that he has won the Golden Duck for Middle Grades in Science Fiction for last year's Lighter than Air. Congratulations, Henry."
Benji had a good interview with Henry Melton at the link. As a previous winner of the Golden Duck Award, I'd like to add my congratulations to Henry, too. He's a very deserving winner.
Cosmic Ray Station
Fred Blosser asks about the Cosmic Ray Station. I can't provide any info other than the sign. I can add that I didn't see any giAnts, but they might have been in hiding.
Awkward Family Photos
A Film We Can All Look Forward To
Paris Hilton: Sex tape ruined my chance to be like Princess Diana | The Sun |Showbiz|Film: "PARIS HILTON says her scandalous life has prevented her from fulfilling her dream of being like PRINCESS DIANA.
The heirhead socialite makes the claims in a new documentary on her life, which debuted at the Toronto International Film Festival last September and was shown in Cannes at the weekend."
The heirhead socialite makes the claims in a new documentary on her life, which debuted at the Toronto International Film Festival last September and was shown in Cannes at the weekend."
Trailer at the link, which was thoughtfully provided by Jeff Meyerson.
Gator Update
Alligator spotted in Herman Baker Park: "SHERMAN -- An unwanted visitor caused Herman Baker Park in Sherman to be shut down indefinitely on Sunday.
Park visitors spotted an alligator lurking in the waters of the park this afternoon and alerted authorities.
Animal Control responded and they contacted the game warden.
The park has since been shut down to all visitors as a precaution while authorities await the arrival of a team trained in handling a situation like this."
Park visitors spotted an alligator lurking in the waters of the park this afternoon and alerted authorities.
Animal Control responded and they contacted the game warden.
The park has since been shut down to all visitors as a precaution while authorities await the arrival of a team trained in handling a situation like this."
I'm Back
The trip to Alberta and British Columbia was great. We got back last night, and I figure it will take me a week to get through all the e-mails that have stacked up. I have a few hundred photos, but I promise not to post them all here.
Our return trip was in the First Class section, thanks to the generousity of Continental Air Lines. We were first on the plane and first off, our two bags were the first two on the luggage carousel, the shuttle to the parking lot was right outside the door, and our car was its first stop when we reached the parking lot. Probably one of the smoothest trips we've had. It's good to be home, but we're still a little tired, and it will take us a while to catch up.
The automated blogging seems to have worked out all right, and regular posting, such as it is, will resume today.
Sunday, May 17, 2009
From 4/16/06
First of all a tip of the fedora to Kevin Burton Smith for writing a thoughtful review of this movie and sparking my interest in seeing it. Hey, you can just click on the link, read Kevin's review, and save yourself the trouble of reading mine.However, if you're still here, I do a thing or two to say. I liked Silver City quite a bit. I thought it worked just fine both as political commentary and as a private-eye story. And in fact, I wasn't bothered at all by the little mini-lectures that popped up from time to time because the movie was structured like a mystery novel, and the lectures seemed to me to fit right in with the plot. I've read similar things in novels by people like Ross Macdonald and Raymond Chandler. And John D. MacDonald and even Ed McBain. You'll have to see the movie and find out if you agree. Kevin mentionedChinatown in his comments, and I think the comparison is apt. Silver City has that kind of atmosphere and that kind of ending.
Some people might complain that the movie's too tied to contemporary events and characters (the comparisons are maybe too obvious) and that therefore the movie's limited in its appeal. I don't know why that should be true. It seems to me that even if you had no idea that the characters on the screen were supposed to represent certain current politicians and political operatives, the story still carry you along. The idea of corruption at all levels is timeless enough to interest people in twenty or thirty years, I'd think. But I'm no prophet, nor was meant to be. Have a look at Silver Cityand see what you think.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)