One Down, One Up

THE LAST COLLAR by Lawrence Kelter and Frank Zafiro. Down & Out Books. Not all police procedurals are created equal.  Some reach beyond the standard cliches.  The Last Collar delivers what we expect and much more.  Writing that is clean, fast and decisive.  Snappy dialogue, cops cracking wise in a funny back and forth.   We discover what the investigating detectives, Brooklyn Homicide’s finest Detective John “Mocha” Moccia and his partner Matt Winslow, discover, and are led to the make the same hunches and brought to the same conclusions.  We are also there as  larger personal questions are asked of Mocha.  So yes, we want our Ed McBain procedural, and it is delivered.  Collaborating authors Lawrence Kelter and Frank Zafiro add the unexpected, a little John Donne to the mix.   Our narrator John “Mocha” Moccia is relentless, working his cases in a methodical manner but obsessed to find justice for the victims.  His sing...

Have you seen these videos... The Landlord http://www.funnyordie.com/videos/74 The Landlord Outtakes http://www.funnyordie.com/videos/4152 Good Cop, Baby Cop http://www.funnyordie.com/videos/33f2687080 You guys would like them.

From today's Plain Dealer: U.S. Marshals haul lion-costumed man to jail Posted by Donna J. Miller June 20, 2007 14:43PM Categories: Breaking News, Crime U.S. Marshals snared a lion Wednesday and hauled him to jail. OK, it wasn't a real lion, but a man wearing a furry costume: James Wagner, 39, of Canonsburg, Pa. Wagner has been running from the law for more than two years, marshals say. He was wanted on charges of raping and impregnating a girl in Pennsylvania. James Wagner Marshals in Pennsylvania received a tip that Wagner was working at a cell phone store on Ohio 91 in Solon. They heard that his job there was to stand outside the store wearing a lion suit and luring people inside. About 12:30 p.m. Wednesday, marshals drove to the store in a car. Sure enough, a lion enthusiastically waved them over. The marshals jumped out of their car and struggled with the lion, until one marshal grabbed the tail. Mission accomplished. One cat in the bag. Story photos here:

The Tortured Lives of Interrogators Veterans of Iraq, N. Ireland and Mideast Share Stark Memories By Laura Blumenfeld Washington Post Staff Writer Monday, June 4, 2007; Page A01 .... Not long ago in Iraq, he felt "absolute power," he said, over men kept in cages. Lagouranis had forced a grandfather to kneel all night in the cold and bombarded others in metal shipping containers with the tape of the self-help parody "Feel This Book: An Essential Guide to Self-Empowerment, Spiritual Supremacy, and Sexual Satisfaction," by comedians Ben Stiller and Janeane Garofalo. ("They hated it," Lagouranis recalled. "Like, 'Please! Just stop that voice!' ") A funny graph from a disturbing article: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/06/03/AR2007060301121.html

From YesButNoButYes http://www.yesbutnobutyes.com/archives/2007/03/top_15_unintent.html

RED {an orchestra} COLLABORATES WITH LOCAL POETS & WRITERS TO CELEBRATE CLEVELAND Jonathan Sheffer debuts "A Red Couch Floating in Lake Erie" symphony to honor city Cleveland, OH (March 12, 2007)—Orchestras are defined in some measure by the musical personalities of their conductors, and Red is no exception. Red {an orchestra}'s final performance for the 2006-2007 season, entitled That Red Guy, will include music composed and arranged by Artistic Director Jonathan Sheffer. "That Red Guy" begins with Sheffer's arrangement of Bach's Well- Tempered Clavier in the minimalist style. The piece is followed by Romp, Sheffer's showy concerto for saxophone and orchestra and features Swedish saxophone soloist Anders Paulsson. "That Red Guy" rounds out the performance with the debut of Sheffer's latest symphony celebrating Cleveland titled A Red Couch Floating in Lake Erie. A Red Couch Floating In Lake Erie beautifully fuses a symphony of singe...

Partial transcript: In the matter of The United States vs Angelo “Fuzzy” Leonardi, CV 34-5789 Bailiff : All rise. Judge Reynolds: I trust we had a good lunch. Noises of affirmation from the Jury. Judge Reynolds: Mr. Wallace, is the government ready to proceed. AUSA Terrence Wallace: We are your Honor. We request that Special Agent John Breem return to the stand. Special Agent Breem, you’ve explained to the jury what a Blog is, would you please read the transcription of the Blog entries as you found them on your search of Mr. Leonardi’s computer. Defense Attorney Robert Matthews: Objection your honor. Judge Reynolds: We’ve covered this already Mr. Matthews. Matthews: I want my objection to be part of the record. Judge Reynolds: So noted. In a deadpan, uninflected voice, SA Breen read the following: “Just Another Wiseguy I blame the Sopranos. When I was first coming up in the business, everyone had a copy of the Godfather on videotape in their house, everyone. That was like ou...

The Department of Health and Human Services issued a series of guidelines Monday designed to help parents curtail their children's boundless imaginations, which child-safety advocates say have the potential to rival motor vehicle accidents and congenital diseases as a leading cause of disability and death among youths ages 3 to 14. http://www.theonion .com/content/ news/child_ safety_experts_ call_for

Demolition Magazine has published my short story, "Crossing Borders". Many thanks to Bryon Quertermous and Dave White for their patience and their support.

Working. Getting ready for trial. What have I not been up to? Writing. Reading. Listening to music. The good new - less than a month and one-half and I get my life back.

If I told you I have a tape of - A Gorilla Reads A Poem - Who do you think the poet would be? http://www.laist.com/archives/2006/08/17/a_gorilla_reads_a_bukowski_poem.php Why are people writing haiku about "Snakes on a Plane?" And why do they all seem to include the word "motherf-----?" http://www.philly.com/mld/dailynews/15302305.htm

Words Without Borders: The Online Magazine For International Literature presents their second "noir" issue. TEMPERS AND TEMPERATURES RISE August 2006 In the murderous summer heat—when, to quote Raymond Chandler, "Meek little wives feel the edge of the carving knife and study their husbands' necks"—we invite you to chill with the icy killers, con men, and cops of our second noir issue. Giampiero Rigosi's hustlers board the "Night Bus" in Bologna, and Leonardo Padura's burned-out Cuban policeman confronts Hurricane Felix and his own tropical depression in "Havana Black." Tonino Benacquista' s Parisian gallery worker wrestles modern art and a modern art thief in "Framed," Gianrico Carofiglio's weary Italan lawyer tries to stop smoking and go straight in "A Walk in the Dark," and Marek Krajewski's laconic inspector finds corpses in walls and ghosts everywhere in "End of the World in B...

Hey, I made the list of Cleveland's noted poets. The proof's here: Criminals At Large Steven B. Smith's Farewell Artcrimes Is His Best Ever Free Times http://www.freetimes.com/story/562 ...many of the area's best poets claim a page or two. Maj Ragain, Daniel Gray-Kontar, Chris Franke, Michael Salinger, Amy Sparks, Ben Gulyas, John Byrum, John Stickney, Ray McNiece, Jim Lang, Peter Leon and many others add extraordinary works, often sandwiched between vapid, puerile — crap. Or, when I awaken from my butterfly dream, will I discover that - I am the vapid, puerile - crap betwen the extraordinary once mistakenly overlooked poets?

Missed out on tickets for Tom Waits Akron show. Saw him twice way back in the late 70's. Great showman. Last Sunday's NYT had an article on Smokey Hormel (his grandfather invented Spam - the meat sub not the computer meat message). Here's what he said about his time with Mr.Waits - Mr. Hormel’s tenure with Beck proved useful during the next phase of his career, when he had to learn to adapt, fast, to unusual requests. In 1999 he was hired by Mr. Waits: “He said to the drummer, ‘You’re the plumbing.’ To the bass player he said, ‘You’re the electrical.’ And to me said, ‘And Smokey, you’re the drywall.’ I’m thinking, ‘O.K.’ ” The drywall, cool.

My story "Reading the Footnotes" is live on Thug Lit, Issue #8. http://www.thuglit.com/home.html#

A Fed economist in the NYT http://www.nytimes.com/2006/07/23/weekinreview/23scott.html?ex=1311307200&en=8bb8262bb5f7be11&ei=5090&partner=rssuserland&emc=rss "Firefighters who want to live in high-priced cities can work two jobs, said W. Michael Cox, chief economist for the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas. “I think it’s great,” he said. “It gives you portfolio diversification in your income.”" Three jobs and your income portfolio will be boffo! YOYO - You're On Your Own

I took off work for this sorry assed crap? Is this the end of Bruce Arena? Time for a change. Maybe Landon should have stayed in the German league and had some real world experience.

World Cup, baby, we're moving on. Actually this is pre-game. Don't make me out to be a liar.

Spent Saturday at the Q watching LeBron & the Cavs spank the Wizards. Hope it is an on-going thing, a quick finish to this series without injuries so we can rest up for our best of seven beating by Detroit. It is my father's 83rd birthday Monday. We're celebrating it today. Listening to: The Greatest by Cat Power Finally a record by Chan Marshall that lives up to the hype. Bluesnik by Jackie McLean Another Blue Note reissue, McLean died last month, a fierce sax player who worked his way out of the shadow of Bird. Tauhid by Pharoah Sanders One of my favorite songs by Pharoah is on session - Upper Egypt, Lower Egypt - saw Pharoah play Fat Glenn's once - while we were standing in line a car pulled up and a blissed out Pharoah and four other musicians (including vocalist Leon Thomas) emerged along with a cloud of thick sweet smelling smoke - hash or MaryJane? - it was a question we debated while waiting to enter. The Band: A Musical History I wonder if The ...

Big fan of Bukowski, eh? Well then you'd probably be interested in - BUKOWSICAL (aka Bukowski the Musical). Yep, here's an article about the musical based on the poems of Charles Bukowski. http://www.calendarlive.com/stage/cl-et-stage24mar24,0,312450.story?coll=cl-stage-utility-right Wait, there's more. A link to the music: http://feeds.feedburner.com/bukowsical Still waiting for word on my recent story submissions. Listening to: Robert Glasper - Canvas - some good updated piano jazz from Blue Note Finis Tasby - Jump Children! - Tasby is the vocalist, Larry Taylor the bassist, Rick Holstrom is the mfing guitarist - polished, urban blues The Best of Linda Ronstandt - the Columbia years - a two disc set - I met Linda back when this music was being released, she played as the warm-up act for Arlo Guthrie. Someone knew someone from the back-up band and we ended up at the hotel room party. I was in high school, busy trying to keep the members of Ronstandt's back-up band (w...