City Belt

PHOTO OF THE WEEK: APPLES, BAMBOO

Not sure where this was taken ... "a store of some sort," you're probably saying, and of course you're right, smartass. Lots of lines. We like lines! This one's by Flickr user gypsee.

Remember, folks -- you gotta be in it to win it! To be featured as Photo of the Week, and in our constantly updating Flickr badge in the right sidebar, tag your Flickr photos with CityBelt -- or you can just e-mail them to us.

MORE PHOTO OF THE WEEK

MOTUS IMAGO: THE FILM USER'S GUIDE

The weekly rundown: by Shane Smith

don't miss:

Volver I'm not a big fan of Almodovar or Penelope, but this is a good one Cinema Village (Manhattan)

don't bother:

Music and Lyrics Hugh and Drew compete for Most Cloying Performance of the Year. cute soundtrack, though.

POEM: BLESSED IN NEWARK

Orthodox in all but name,
We find ourselves between the apse and nave
Of two worlds where our reflections
Mimic blank expressions
And pepper mosaic windows.

The bus wends its way through Vailsburg,
My spiritual home, our Fatima,
Where we gained strength
On Friday evenings in April and May
And heard the Sodality Sisters gather and sing
The hauntingly beautiful Acathistos service
To the Mother of God.

This annual preparation for the Passion
Featuring sacrificial tin can banks,
Was shattered by a new wave of bloodshed,
The fifth attack in three weeks,
Which sparked a night of rioting near Bethlehem.

The suicide bomber on a bicycle,
Who may have been a woman, died.
When was the reincarnation?

Did I miss the body?

Which turn for Zarvanytsia?

-- Roman S. Ponos

NEW JERSEY'S POLS: BACKING THE WRONG PRESIDENTIAL HORSES?

ShapTalk: Guest Commentary
By Michael M. Shapiro

Officials of both political parties should have learned a lesson from 2004 when key Democratic politicians, including Gov. Jim McGreevey, jumped on board with Gov.Howard Dean, only to see Dean implode soon thereafter, leaving them with little influence over Sen. John Kerry, the eventual Democratic nominee. Apparently, those who do not learn from history are condemned to repeat it. Approximately one month ago, a long line of Republican officials publicly announced their support for Rudy Guliani for president. Recently, a significant contingent of Democratic officials, including Gov. Corzine, publicly backed Sen. Hillary Clinton for President. Both groups of elected officials will find themselves on the outside looking in should the political winds afoot blow in an unexpected but likely direction.

THE THIRD DEGREE: PAUL MECURIO

By Elizabeth Weill-Greenberg

Paul Mecurio is an investment banker-turned-stand up comic who was on the original writing team for The Daily Show -- he's won an Emmy, a Peabody, and he's performing at Rascal's in Montclair through Sunday. He recently took some time to talk with City Belt about stand up, tough day jobs, and Henry Winkler's onion.

THE PEACH PIT: US WEEKLY, KING OF GOSSIP

By Elizabeth Weill-Greenberg

When I saw Us Weekly’s headline “Saint or Sinner” above a picture of Angelina Jolie, I felt like a heroin addict who couldn’t wait for her next fix. My subscription was coming in a few days; there was no need to shell out the money, I repeatedly told myself. Ultimately I soothed my cravings with Star magazine. But that’s like snacking on ice cream when you want crack. (Full disclosure: A grad school chum of mine works at Us Weekly. Holy shit. Is it just me or did that sound so classy?)

BUT I DIGEST ... AND THE WINNER IS ...

By Kimberly Kaye

A big thank you to all the dedicated eaters who participated in our "So You Think You Know Food" challenge; you have impressed me with both your imagination and culinary knowledge. While I would love to announce Jess Guyon of NY as our champion (her commitment to wit is unmatched in all capacities – she took the time to list 10 chefs/culinarians with the first name Herbert in response to question 6), we have an indisputable victor: Efrem Oshinsky! A shout out to the wonderful Taqueria, who will be feeding Efrem in celebration of his culinary prowess.

We would like to remind all contestants that the answers given must have been closest to those published in 1935 – meaning that some perfectly correct answers were not quite correct in the context of this quiz (which is wildly dated and often vague – see the author’s explanation of tempura if you don’t believe us).

Stay tuned for more interactive goodness like this in the future, and in the meantime – go eat something wonderful. Answers after the jump:

MOTUS IMAGO: GRINDHOUSE

By Nightdreamer

Oh my G! Where G stands for Grindhouse. I was lucky enough to belong to one of the few people who had the chance to watch an advance screening of Grindhouse. The movie theater was packed and I think people would have happily killed for the small magic blue ticket. 

Tarantino is back for good, along with his old friend and usual collaborator Robert Rodriguez. They‘re both back to back with a double-dose packed to the gills with guns, guts and gore. Robert Rodriguez -- the creator of Sin City, From Dusk till Dawn and one of the Four Rooms -- directs a thrilling film, Planet Terror, which works as a dedication to the old zombie-movies school, while Quentin Tarantino (QT) has created a bloodthirsty murderer whose weapon has four wheels and is Death Proof.