Whodunnit?

My favorite new story which was under the radar a few weeks ago but is now starting to show up all over is the is the assassination of a Mr. Mahmoud al-Mabhouh in Dubai. Mahmoud was an arms dealer for a fine organization that goes by Hamas. Kind of like ACORN...just not nearly as big, well funded, well connected, or corrupt...but far more vicious, insane, & cold blooded. While on "business" in Dubai to discuss & negotiate the importing of "goods" from well established "vendors" in the tools of mass, mini, & medium destruction. Now while his employers are claiming the hit was done by Israel's Mosad...which in all fairness is quite possible. They do have the means, the motive, & most definitely the capability to execute such a hit on foreign soil...did they really do it? It seems that 11 "people of suspicion" have been identified in photo's & it has recently come to light that the Dubai police are now saying that there were up to 18 operatives involved. Of the 11 they all had European passports primarily from the UK...but it's turning out "shockingly" that the passports, the names, & photo's are not matching up & are frauds. 4 names have come up as Israeli's...but when contacted these 4 do not exactly seem to be Mosad Ops & were not in Dubai at the time. Now...while facts are still coming in I was originally going to hold off writing anything...until I read in numerous sources that the authorities in Dubai have detained 2 Palestinian men...which now makes this story really interesting. Was this indeed a Mosad hit? Was it done by Rogue elements of the former org known as the IRA over a bad business deal? Was it carried out by an International crime org over a bad arms deal...SPECTRE...QUANTUM??? Was the hit carried out by the Palestinian organization Fatah? Did Fatah advise on the hit & give info to Israel's Mosad or to Arms Dealers out for payback? Any way this one turns out...it's as if Agatha Christie wrote a James Bond short story...

Yes YOU can!

Yesterday Lindsey Vonn won a gold medal in the Downhill Ski event. Today she fell down while racing for gold. Tomorrow she's going for another gold. Two weeks she injured her shin & could barely walk...now not only is she skiing when most would would just be walking again...but she is outracing the best in the world in the Olympics to win gold! Two important points here...when you think you just can't do it or keep pushing on...just think about Lindsey Vonn...who said screw it & won an Olympic gold medal. The other point is she believed in herself & said..."Yes I can" & she did. While she has a team behind her...it was her drive that got her through it. Too many of us depend others too much of the time & not on ourselves. Maybe if more of us thought like Lindsey & relied on ourselves & pushed ourselves instead of replying on others & "hoping" for things to come our way we would all be better off. Now while I am all for teamwork & believe in the importance of it I do believe we all need to rely on ourselves more. Mr. "Yes we can!!!" so far...has not...nor does it look like he's going to in the near future. So stop relying on others to fix things & make things happen...stop hoping for things & like Lindsey say "Yes I can"!!!

Right on Target: Archer/Human Target

TV Review time...if you are into the whole action spy genre & have a good risque sense of humour if you are not already watching these two shows check them out...

Human Target - This is part of the "white knight" with a "dark past" genre. What makes this show so good is a combo of the lead Mark Valley & his team (Jackie Earle Haley-Rorschach from Watchmen & Chi McBridge ) & the movie quality action & fight scenes. The premise is that Chris Chance is for hire to protect you & he does so by insinuating himself into your life so he is always right there. There seems to be a back story about Mr. Chance's past...but so far not much has been made of that. I'm expecting that to change as the season progresses. So far all the stories have been good & nice job on casting a good looking female pro &/or antagonists in each episode that are strong characters as well. No damsel's in distress here, the women on this show hold there own. The fighting scenes are superb & they have come up with some really original ones including close quarters combat in a air vent on a super-train. Kudos to Mark Valley for making them look so real. He is a West Pointer...so he may have some real fighting experience under his belt. So give Mr. Chance a go...you will not be disappointed.

Archer - What can I say but this is hysterical. You need a good sense of humour & please note this cartoon is not for the kids. The premise is Archer is a James Bond type Super-Spy working for ISIS...which is run by his ...Mom. His ex-girlfriend is the other lead super-spy...a multi-racial female fantasy come to life with curves like a roller coaster & an attitude to match. She is now dating Figgis the agency's Comptroller at work which of course drives Archer nuts. Other main characters include the Russian head of a competing firm, HR, Tech, & a crazed secretary that has strangulation fantasies. It's more about inter-office politics & relationships then anything else...it simply takes place in a spy agency & they go on missions. It is not too politically correct so keep that in mind if you are easily offended. I would love to see them do a live action episode. I would cast John Hamm(MadMen) as the lead, Glenn Close as his mother & Halle Berry as Lana. If you are an Austin Powers fan & was bummed out that they never came out with the promised animated series this more then makes up for it...

L'asso/Led Zeppole/Thai Me Up/Torrisi

Food Review Time...the following are a bunch of great new spots I discovered recently (some newer then others) that are really good & mid-priced...

L'asso - Really good Italian/thin crust pizza place in Nolita right down the block from Lombardi's. Now I love Lombardi's so go there for great old school NY thin crust pizza & ...tourists. L'asso is good for both basic pasta dishes & round individual pizza's, but more for something different like the jalapeno artichoke dip & the Tartufo pizza...I really liked the Dante as well. The spicy capocollo was of high quality & they put a think slice on each section of the rectangular pie(medium & large). They have a great beer selection as well. Also of note is some pretty cool artwork up on the wall for sale. One thing I can't leave out was I couldn't get over how many very good looking women were in the place. Our hipster waiter informed us that the place is always loaded with model quality ladies. I'll be back...

Led Zeppole - New desert place opened up by the Artichoke Pizza guys. The night I went they had the namesake zeppole's, fried oreo's, home-made ice-cream, & cannoli's. I only had a cannoli...but it was one of the best I've ever had. I'm going to have to get some from here & some from Veniero's for a cannoli-off. Please note barely room to stand inside the door...to go only

Thai Me Up- This place is a Thai take on the Vietnamese sandwich craze & it's great. Along with the sandwiches they have noodle, rice dishes, salads, etc.. I went with White Ginger...chicken in ginger, coconut & fresh herbs on a fresh baguette. Limited seating...more of a take out spot.

Torrisi - Great old school Italian deli that uses only & all local sourced products. Yes you read it right, nothing imported from Italy. I've had the chicken parm on a round roll & the Italian hero both really good. They also have a full selection of marinated veggies. The spicy broccoli rabe is my favorite. Of note...great coffee. Decent amount of seating & geared for eating in as well as out. Mangi bene!

Now remember...while there are plenty of carbs in many of the menu's above...it's all about portion control. Don't eat till you're stuffed & exercise regularly & you can enjoy like foods on a semi-regular basis. Just ask the all the good looking girls eating at L'asso...

Book of Eli/From Paris with Love

Double-Feature movie review time...

Book of Eli - While on the one hand this has a lot of elements, looks(great shout-out to those of you who played Fall-Out) & feel of your typical post-apocalyptic movie...on the other it is very original. Denzel & Oldman as usual give great performances & I just love Mila Kunis. The best part is this movie actually has twists that you don't see coming a million miles away. In a nutshell...Denzel who is one BMF modern-day Samurai is on a quest to bring "a book" to the west coast...Oldman who runs a town full of thugs is looking for "a book" that can give him unlimited power...their paths cross...do the math...if you dig this genre or are a fan of the two leads you will enjoy this different take on the post-apoc flick...

From Paris with Love - I'll make this one real simple...if you're a big Travolta fan go see this...he's totally over the top & hysterical...if you liked Taken & want to see more Americans go to France & wipe out various ethnic bad-guys...go see it...if you're a John Woo fan...you will enjoy this...if you just love mindless action movies & buddy flicks this is for you...if not...then avoid this movie. It is mindless & you can see the plot unfold blindfolded from space. I for the record went in with very low expectations & ended up really enjoying it. In all fairness it's more of a rental...but if you have an unlimited double-feature pass like I do...then paying for a Book of Eli & catching this as part of the DF works...Also of note...the female lead played by KasiaSmutniak is gorgeous...looking forward to seeing more of her...& yes they leave room for a sequel...well with Briggs & Murtha in the insane asylum...a new buddy-buddy team does need to step up...

Un-Dead & Loving it...

I just finished reading the sequel(yes it's taken a while) to the original Dracula by Bram Stoker, Dracula: The Un-Dead. I was skeptical when I saw it was a collaboration between a Stoker who is a direct descendant & a Dracula historian...but what can I say but that they totally nailed it! If you love Vampires, especially the original bad-boy Drac himself, are into history & know about Vlad, Countess Elizabeth Bathory(if not check the link) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Countess_Bathory, Jack the Ripper & a bit about Stoker you will really love this book. They did a great job weaving a combination of the original story/characters, history, & the Vampire legend itself to make a great read. One of the more interesting aspects of the book was their take on how the Count views himself. I actually liked it & if again you know Vlad's history it does make sense. Just keep in mind...it's his(Drac's) perception of himself...the author is not necessarily agreeing or not...This would make a great movie & I'm really hoping for a sequel...so if you need a good book to really sink your teeth into...this is it...enjoy!