MY CLAIBORNE BIOGRAPHY IS ONE OF THE WASHINGTON POST'S "BEST OF 2012: 50 NOTABLE WORKS OF NONFICTION"

Holy smokes!  I just found out today that they published the list more than two weeks ago.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/entertainment/books/best-of-2012-50-notable-works-of-nonfiction/2012/11/15/4f55d43a-116b-11e2-be82-c3411b7680a9_story_1.html

BAG THAT PEAK!

"The concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere hit a record high of 390.9 parts per million in 2011, the World Meteorological Association reported on 20 November.  Levels of the potent greenhouse gases methane and nitrous oxide also reached new highs last year."

--Nature, 29 November 2012

ELECTORAL POLITICS IN MONTANA

First please let me apologize for my absence from this space.  I'm renewing my commitment to blogging here starting today.  And now:

A pre-election letter to the editor of the Big Timber, Montana, Pioneer.  I am omitting the writer's name to spare him the embarrassment that a less congenial fellow would say he damn well deserves:

CITIZEN OR SURF:
THE CHOICE IS YOURS
ON ELECTION DAY
The current administration has vowed that if it is put back in office, they are going to take away our second amendment rights.  An armed man is a CITIZEN and an unarmed man is a SURF.  On election day you will have the chance to decide which one you would like to be.

BABBO GETS ITS JUST...DESSERTS

As is said, a dish best served cold:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/thomas-mcnamee/babbo_b_1879042.html

BABBO. ITALIAN FOR BAD JUJU. OR: WHEN THE PERSON AT A RESTAURANT PODIUM USES THE WORD "POLICY," YOU MAY JUST WANT TO LEAVE RIGHT THEN

BABBO in New York (Mario Batali's baby) is everything you don't want in a restaurant--disorganized, unfriendly, and stupid. After half an hour waiting for the table I'd been promised "in ten minutes," I was told that "policy" forbade seating single persons.  And now that I'd waited half an hour, and tables were obviously available?  No, sorry, policy.  Policy.  This is a place that persons of sensibility should assiduously avoid--and please tell your friends.

AUDIOBOOK REVIEW

The audiobook of THE MAN WHO CHANGED THE WAY WE EAT has just gotten an unbelievably great review in Publishers Weekly: http://www.publishersweekly.com/978-1-4526-0812-9

RAISING HELL ABOUT RESTAURANT NOISE

Grrr.  (That would be a quiet little growl....)

Originally published on ZesterDaily.com, now picked up on Huffington Post. The original's a bit better because of the comments. Plenty of room for comments here, too, of course, so please have at it. http://zesterdaily.com/opinion/soapbox/turn-down-the-volume-on-restaurant-noise/