Slime in the ice machine!

November 22nd, 2011

Okay, would you believe rodent droppings in the pizza?

This has already been on FARK, but I did want to mention it here: Di Fara Pizza in Brooklyn, home of the $5 slice of cheese pizza, has been temporarily closed by the Health Department.

The city reported the 46-year-old pizzeria at the corner of E. 15th Street, known for it’s drop-dead Sicilian pie, racked up 67 violation points during last week’s inspection and was cited for mouse droppings “throughout the kitchen,” enough to shut the store and require the owner to take a course in food protection.

The owners say the “person who was supposed to come in and clean” wasn’t able to make it. And by the way, Occupy Wall Street caused paperwork delays.

“Is it worth risking rodent-borne illness?” wondered Josh Bauchner, a Di Fara enthusiast. “Certainly.”

(Here’s a classic Marvin Zindler restaurant report from 1999 that includes the phrase that pays. Don’t worry: it shows up at about the 1:50 mark.)

Posted in Clippings, Food | Comments Closed

I shouted out ‘Who killed the Kennedys?’

November 22nd, 2011

The City of Dallas would like for you to know that they are not responsible for the assassination of JFK.

Not only that, but they’re planning a big 50th anniversary event in 2013, and are raising money to restore Dealey Plaza.

Short shameful confession: I’ve lived in Texas for a long time, but I’ve never visited Dallas. One of these weekends, I’m going to take off, get a hotel room, and visit Dealey Plaza and the 6th Floor Museum.

(The Conspiracy Museum lost their lease a few years back. They were supposedly moving into a new space, but I can’t tell if they actually did.)

Posted in Clippings, History | Comments Closed

Apparently the check has cleared the bank.

November 22nd, 2011

So to speak. I suspect the money was actually moved by a wire transfer.

In any case, Jim Crane now officially owns the Houston Astros.

Crane indicated he will be ready to begin making significant moves shortly after Thanksgiving.

Posted in Clippings, Sports | Comments Closed

TMQ watch: November 22, 2011.

November 22nd, 2011

TMQ is taking a bye this week.

If you want to read Easterbrook’s “instead of a TMQ”, in which he surveys 30 years of The Atlantic Monthly cover articles you can read that here. (Really. We are not making this up.)

Posted in Clippings, TMQ watch | Comments Closed

I love New York.

November 22nd, 2011

Cigarette taxes in New York City (this is combined city and state tax) are at $5.85 per pack.

This has led folks to find clever ways around the system: mail order cigarettes, until the government cracked down on that, sales of single smokes, cigarette smuggling…and now, roll your own cigarette shops.

Jonathan Behrins, a lawyer for the companies that own the shops, said Monday that the stores were not obligated to charge cigarette taxes because “we are not producing cigarettes for resale.”

“We are selling the contents that produce the cigarette,” he said, “and it’s up to the user to make them.”

I’m sure it comes as no great shock to anyone that the city disagrees, and is suing the shops in federal court.

“By selling illegally low-priced cigarettes,” said the city’s lawsuit, filed in Federal District Court in Manhattan, “defendants not only interfere with the collection of city cigarette taxes, they also impair the city’s smoking cessation programs and impair individual efforts at smoking reduction, thereby imposing higher health care costs on the city and injuring public health.”

Awwwwww. I feel bad for the Bloomberg administration. No, wait, that’s still heartburn. Never mind.

Posted in Clippings, Law | 2 Comments »

Obit watch: November 22, 2011.

November 22nd, 2011

John Neville, perhaps best known as Baron Munchausen in Terry Gilliam’s underrated “The Adventures of Baron Munchausen”. (Or perhaps as “The Well-Manicured Man” on “The X-Files”.)

Posted in Clippings, Movies, Obits, TV | Comments Closed

Your loser update: week 11, 2011.

November 21st, 2011

NFL teams that still have a chance to go 0-16:

Indianapolis (bye week)

Posted in Clippings, Loser, NFL, Sports | Comments Closed

Things. Explained. For the benefit of other people.

November 21st, 2011

This came up in conversation yesterday: here’s your explanation of Desert Bus.

And why did this come up in conversation yesterday? Desert Bus for Hope is running again, that’s why. Won’t you consider donating?

Posted in Clippings, Geek | Comments Closed

Legal update for November 18, 2011.

November 18th, 2011

James Arthur Ray has been sentenced for his negligent manslaughter conviction in the Sedona sweat lodge deaths. (Previously.)

He got two years. That should be enough time to finish a self-help book.

Kirby Brown, Liz Neuman, and James Shore were unavailable for comment.

Posted in Clippings, Law | 2 Comments »

By the way…

November 17th, 2011

…thanks to Jay G. for reminding us that Saturday is National Ammo Day.

I’m thinking about picking up some .45 Long Colt for one of my Smiths.

Saturday is also World Toilet Day.

We recommend you celebrate both holidays in a safe and appropriate fashion.

Posted in Guns | Comments Closed

Hail, Columbia!

November 17th, 2011

No, wait, we can’t.

The Columbia marching band won’t be allowed to play for this Saturday’s final game. Apparently, it bothered the administration that the band used alternative lyrics for the Columbia fight song.

Not including one-game seasons in the 1870s, this could be the seventh year Columbia loses all its games and the 11th time Columbia goes 0-7 in the Ivy League.

This, in turn, reminds me of an article I found over the weekend. (I was searching Google to see if a college football team had forfeited a game in recent memory.)

ESPN’s list of the worst college football teams of all time. Columbia (from 1983-1988) is #4. (By the way, the “teams” description is ESPN’s, not mine.)

Posted in Clippings, Loser, Sports | Comments Closed

Still alive.

November 17th, 2011

Just not much to write about, and working on a final project for school.

I feel like I should write something about the Austin F1 race, but I don’t know what to make of the situation at the moment. It feels like a huge scam, but I can’t tell who is scamming who.

I also feel like I should write something about the passage of HR822, but:

  1. Other people said it better.
  2. Okay, so it passed the House. It still has to pass the Senate, and be signed into law. When it becomes law, then I’ll celebrate. But I think there’s still a long road to travel.

I also feel like I should write something about the Astros situation. Not that I care about baseball, but I have covered it before. The problem I have is that almost all of the coverage at this point is speculative; ask  me again after today’s meeting, when a final deal is (or is not) made.

Edited to add: Okay, it is now official. Jim Crane is the new owner of the Astros.

As part of the deal, Crane was required to give baseball the power to move the Astros to the American League West. That move is expected to happen in 2013, but won’t be finalized until the sport’s new collective bargaining agreement is in place.

Posted in Cars, Clippings, Guns, Sports | Comments Closed

TMQ Watch: November 15, 2011.

November 15th, 2011

We are sure that folks have been wondering: exactly how is TMQ going to deal with the 8,000 pound elephant in the room? Well, now’s our chance to find out in this week’s TMQ…

Read the rest of this entry »

Posted in Clippings, NFL, Sports, TMQ watch | Comments Closed

Your loser update: week 10, 2011.

November 13th, 2011

NFL teams that still have a chance to go 0-16:

Indianapolis

Posted in Loser, NFL, Sports | Comments Closed

In ancient times…

November 11th, 2011

Hundreds of years before the dawn of history
Lived a strange race of people… the Druids

No one knows who they were or what they were doing
But their legacy remains
Hewn into the living rock… Of Stonehenge

Happy Nigel Tufnel Day, everyone.

Posted in Food, Geek, Photography | Comments Closed

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