Shannon Elizabeth Murphy was high on meth when she was caught trying to break into a suburban home by a neighbour who bashed her with a crutch, threw her onto a concrete driveway and dragged her out of a smashed window.

She died later that night in hospital.

As police arrived to arrest Ms Murphy in the Perth suburb of Armadale, she swore at them, said she had a knife and threatened to spit blood on them.

The officers called an ambulance, managed to put handcuffs on her cut wrists and temporarily placed the 33-year-old face-down to prevent her from spitting, but soon realised she had stopped breathing.

A post-mortem examination found the mother-of-one had extensive injuries, including fractures to her skull, and the cause of death was ruled as most likely due to methylamphetamine and exertion induced cardiac arrhythmia.

The West Australian Coroner's Court is now investigating whether police actions that night in April 2012 caused or contributed to Ms Murphy's death.

The neighbour who bashed Ms Murphy, Dylan Van Maris, was jailed in July 2013.

In her opening address on Tuesday, counsel assisting the coroner Aneta Sukoski said Ms Murphy had mental health issues and was an amphetamines user who had gone to hospital with psychotic symptoms in the months leading up to her death.

She said Van Maris first saw Ms Murphy trying to access a neighbour's home and struck her on the back with a thick stick before returning to his property where he lived with his de facto partner and their five children.

Ms Murphy again tried to access the home but was confronted by the occupants and Van Maris.

They forced her out, locked themselves inside and called police.

She then became angry towards Van Maris' partner, so he grabbed Ms Murphy by the waist and threw her onto the driveway where she hit her head on the concrete.

Van Maris then hit her across the back with the crutch up to four times until it broke and threw her again.

But Ms Murphy broke free and tried to enter the other house again, breaking a glass panel on the door and putting her head and upper body through the gap.

The occupants tried to push her out while Van Maris pulled her.

"She was bleeding profusely and had lost her jeans and shoes," Ms Sukoski said.

Feeling dazed, Ms Murphy bumped into a steel power pole and sat on Van Maris' driveway where they spoke before she tried to run towards another neighbour with part of the crutch in her hand.

Van Maris then pushed Ms Murphy, causing her to somersault over a low fence and land on her head before police arrived.

Summary: The WA Coroner's Court is investigating whether police contributed to the death of a drug user who was bashed by a man before her arrest.


“We’re going to help the N.R.A., who are great people,” he said on Tuesday in Fayetteville, N.C. “They’re fighting hard, they’re fighting hard. Chris and Wayne and all their people at the N.R.A., these are people that love our country.”

The alliance with Mr. Trump comes at a moment of peril for the N.R.A. and its agenda, as Democrats threaten to take control of the Senate and polls show the public increasingly supportive of at least modest new limits on the sale and possession of firearms.

Mrs. Clinton and other Democrats have run explicitly against the N.R.A. in this election, attacking the gun lobby for opposing laws intended to restrict gun sales to people with mental illnesses or whose names are on the federal terrorism watch list. They have held up the N.R.A. as a uniquely sinister organization, and cast themselves as opponents of the group rather than of gun owners in general.

Donald J. Trump tried to explain his statement that "Second Amendment people" might be able to stop Hillary Clinton's agenda should she become president, as did the House speaker, Paul D. Ryan, and former Mayor Rudolph W. Giuliani of New York.

In her acceptance speech at the Democratic convention last month, Mrs. Clinton said the country could not have a president “in the pocket of the gun lobby.”

“I’m not here to repeal the Second Amendment,” she told the crowd in Philadelphia. “I’m not here to take away your guns. I just don’t want you to be shot by someone who shouldn’t have a gun in the first place.”

Mrs. Clinton, who has campaigned with gun-control advocates like the former congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords and her husband, Mark Kelly, told a crowd in Iowa on Wednesday that Mr. Trump’s provocative remark about Second Amendment supporters showed he was unfit to be president. She called it “the latest in a long line of casual comments from Donald Trump that cross the line.”

The N.R.A. is expected to intensify its efforts on Mr. Trump’s behalf, association officials said, increasing its spending on television commercials and wielding its extensive network of activists to help turn out voters sympathetic to Mr. Trump.

The N.R.A. has spent nearly $6 million this year on advertising supporting Mr. Trump, focusing its latest efforts on the swing states of Nevada, North Carolina, Ohio and Pennsylvania, where Mr. Trump and his running mate, Gov. Mike Pence of Indiana, have been campaigning heavily. That sum — a tiny fraction of what has been spent on commercials backing Mrs. Clinton — is the largest expenditure for ads helping Mr. Trump in the general election.

At this point in the last two presidential elections, the N.R.A. had not spent a single dollar on commercials backing the Republican nominees, John McCain in 2008 and Mitt Romney in 2012, according to the ad tracking firm Kantar Media/CMAG. In 2004, the rifle association spent just $61,000 aiding President George W. Bush’s re-election bid, and only in Washington.

Rebuilding America Now, a super PAC supporting Mr. Trump’s candidacy, also appears to be ramping up its activities, with roughly $1 million added to its advertising plans for the next six days in four battleground states.

Grover Norquist, an anti-tax activist who sits on the rifle association’s board, said the 2016 race was uniquely explosive because control of the Supreme Court hangs in the balance and Mrs. Clinton has spoken critically of judicial decisions that take a broad interpretation of the right to own guns.

“Trump in his public statements, in his speech at the convention, is the most pro-Second Amendment presidential candidate of either party in living memory,” Mr. Norquist said. “And we haven’t had a presidential candidate declare war on the Second Amendment community as aggressively as Hillary.”

Mr. Norquist said that the N.R.A. and other Second Amendment groups were determined to reach voters who are concerned about crime and self-defense, and who might hold permits to carry concealed weapons but were not recreational gun users like hunters and sportsmen. They may not fit the conventional profile of gun owners, he said, and may be more likely to live in battleground states like Florida, Michigan and Pennsylvania.

“They are more suburban,” Mr. Norquist said. “They are more likely to be swing voters and not necessarily N.R.A. members.”

The N.R.A.’s ads have focused on themes of self-defense and fear — and on persuading gun owners that they should fear Mrs. Clinton: Its latest commercial, released Tuesday, accused her of hypocrisy, saying she surrounded herself with armed guards while trying to take away Americans’ firearms, leaving them “defenseless.”

At times, the association has taken its advocacy for Mr. Trump well beyond gun rights. With no well-funded “super PAC” running ads for Mr. Trump, the N.R.A. stepped into that role in late June, releasing an ad on an entirely unrelated issue. The commercial featured a survivor of the 2012 attack in Benghazi, Libya, criticizing Mrs. Clinton’s handling of it. It made no mention of guns or any other domestic policy issue.

And the N.R.A. has used its digital channels, which reach more than five million members, to echo Mr. Trump’s messages: Ginny Simone, a reporter for NRA News, the association’s online channel, recently offered a glowing video package showcasing Mr. Trump’s convention speech and trumpeting his support among gun owners.

Mr. Trump has not always been such a clear ally of the gun lobby. When he considered a bid for president in 2000, he repeatedly expressed support for a crackdown on gun ownership, and criticized Republicans who, he said, “walk the N.R.A. line and refuse even limited restrictions.”

But this year, Mr. Trump has gone to unusual lengths to get along with the organization. When the group offered rare criticism of him in June, for suggesting after the nightclub massacre in Orlando, Fla., that patrons there should have been armed, Mr. Trump took the unusual step of walking back his remarks.

His intention, he insisted, had been to suggest that more armed guards at the nightclub would have been helpful.

Summary: With the nominee increasingly isolated in his own party, the gun rights group has become one of his remaining supporters within the G.O.P. coalition.


Stars have been queuing 'for hours' and in huge lines even at 5am but now can't get more than 20 free items at once

THE McDonald’s in the Rio athletes’ village has had to place a 20-item limit on orders because world class scars are scoffing so much junk food.

Some athletes have reportedly waited “hours” in line to bag the free grub – even at 5am – and the queues are said to be longer than a football field.

The ripped stars see the eating of a Big Mac and fries as a release after months of eating clean in preparation for the Games.

Australian badminton player Sawan Serasinghe’s snap of his massive order went viral.

The 22-year-old posed alongside a mountain of food while flashing his six-pack and said: “It’s time to eat some junk food after months of eating clean.”

But it turns out that binge-eating athletes have another reason for going there.

It has been claimed that the food served in the village cafe has been pretty ropy and that they eat at the world’s biggest fast food chain for something better.

Now the limit has been brought in at McDonald’s to cut down the queues made by the some of the 10,000 athletes at the Games.

Usain Bolt famously ate 100 chicken nuggets a day in the Beijing Games in 2008.

Summary: THE McDonald’s in the Rio athletes’ village has had to place a 20-item limit on orders because world class scars are scoffing so much junk food. Some athletes have reportedly waited &#8…


Iconic Australian boot and clothing manufacturer RM Williams has been fined $90,000 over an injury to a worker who suffered third degree burns.

Sharon Vargas was operating a machine designed to press the toes of boots into the desired shape at the company's Adelaide plant in June last year when her hands became trapped.

She spent 10 days in hospital undergoing skin grafts and continues to have no feeling in her left hand and only some feeling in the fingers of her right hand.

The company pleaded guilty in the South Australian Industrial Court to one count of failing to comply with health and safety laws.

In submissions, management said it was unaware of a "shortcut" staff were using on the hot press machine when working with small size boots which involved placing their hands inside.

In his judgement Magistrate Michael Ardlie said training on the press should have been more formalised with an emphasis on safety and should not have included the shortcut technique.

He said the safety procedures in place were also insufficient to safeguard against employees deviating from what management assumed they were doing - operating the machine in a safe way.

But the magistrate said there was not a complete absence of safety measures and training and the company had since moved to install safety guards which meant a similar incident was unlikely to occur again.

Summary: The South Australian Industrial Court has fined RM Williams $90,000 over an injury to a worker in 2015.


A third woman has been arrested in relation to the murder case of 81-year-old Adelaide grandfather Robert Whitwell.

A 19-year-old woman from the Gold Coast was arrested and is expected to be charged with aggravated serious criminal trespass, South Australia Police say.

The arrest comes after Brittney Jade Dwyer, the victim's granddaughter, and her friend Bernadette Burns were extradited from Queensland last month and charged with Mr Whitwell's murder.

Mr Whitwell's body was found inside his unlocked Craigmore home, in Adelaide's north, on August 8 after neighbours spotted an uncollected newspaper in his driveway.

Police initially believed he had died of natural causes but their suspicions were aroused when several "unusual" aspects of the case could not be explained.

Detectives had to rely on forensic experts and crime scene pathologists to piece together what occurred inside the home.

SA major crime investigators travelled to Queensland earlier this week in relation to the investigation.

The 19-year-old is expected to appear in the Brisbane Magistrates Court in the near future when SA Police will seek her extradition.

Neighbours described Mr Whitwell as a kind gentleman who went each day to visit his wife in a nearby nursing home.

Dwyer and Burns will face court again on November 8. They have been remanded in custody.

Summary: A 19-year-old woman from the Gold Coast has been arrested and is set to be charged with aggravated serious criminal assault in the murder of an SA grandfather.


Prince Harry has confirmed his relationship with US actress Meghan Markle.

Prince Harry has confirmed he is dating US actress Meghan Markle and fears for her safety amid a wave of sexism, racism and front-page smear since their relationship was first revealed. Kensington Palace tonight released a rare damning statement on behalf of the Prince saying a line had been crossed in the media's treatment of Ms Markle.

The statement includes claims photographers have tried to illegally enter her home and "substantial bribes" have been offered to her ex-boyfriend for tell-all interviews. "Some of this has been very public — the smear on the front page of a national newspaper; the racial undertones of comment pieces; and the outright sexism and racism of social media trolls and web article comments," the statement read.

https://twitter.com/KensingtonRoyal/status/795931735443861504 "Some of it has been hidden from the public — the nightly legal battles to keep defamatory stories out of papers; her mother having to struggle past photographers in order to get to her front door; the attempts of reporters and photographers to gain illegal entry to her home and the calls to police that followed; the substantial bribes offered by papers to her ex-boyfriend; the bombardment of nearly every friend, co-worker, and loved one in her life." The palace said Prince Harry was acutely aware of the "significant curiosity about his private life", something he has "never been comfortable with … but he has tried to develop a thick skin about the level of media interest that comes with it". It said he was worried about Markle's safety "and is deeply disappointed that he has not been able to protect her". "It is not right that a few months into a relationship with him that Ms Markle should be subjected to such a storm," the palace said.

"He knows commentators will say this is ‘the price she has to pay’ and that ‘this is all part of the game’. He strongly disagrees. This is not a game — it is her life and his. "He has asked for this statement to be issued in the hopes that those in the press who have been driving this story can pause and reflect before any further damage is done. "He knows that it is unusual to issue a statement like this, but hopes that fair-minded people will understand why he has felt it necessary to speak publicly."

Prince Harry said he fears for the safety of new girlfriend Meghan Markle.

© Nine Digital Pty Ltd 2016

Summary: Prince Harry has confirmed he is in a relationship with American actress Meghan Markle, and said he is worried about her safety and is disappointed he has not been able to protect her.


FORTUNE — One of the business leaders President Obama called last weekend before he began his Southeast Asia visit was Apple AAPL CEO Tim Cook.

The President met with a dozen CEOs last week to talk about the so-called fiscal cliff, and he reached out to four more over the weekend, including Cook.

The White House did not disclose the subject of their chat, but it’s not hard to guess.

During his re-election campaign, Obama talked a lot about closing tax loopholes that reward U.S. companies for exporting jobs.

Apple, which has shipped almost all its manufacturing work to Asia, has lobbied heavily for a tax holiday that would allow it to “repatriate” some the cash it has accumulated overseas — i.e. spend it in the U.S without having to pay federal taxes on it.

How big an issue is that for Apple?

Well, according to the Form 10-K the company filed with the SEC last month, of the record $121.3 billion in cash and marketable securities it has accumulated, $82.6 billion is parked overseas.

Apple pays extraordinarily low tax rates on its foreign earnings — $713 million in 2012 at an effective rate of less than 2%.

This compares to the $13.3 billion Apple paid in state and federal taxes in the U.S. in 2012, where the federal tax rate is 35%.

The discrepancy between 2% and 35% is what you might call a loophole. When it gets closed — and how it gets closed — is something the President and Tim Cook might want to talk about.

Summary: I'll bet $82.6 billion the call had something to do with Apple's overseas cash holdings


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Summary: A tribute with some of the legendary "Star Wars" actress and the '80s pop music icon's most memorable moments.


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NEW YORK -- Applications for U.S. home mortgages rose last week as both purchase and refinancing applications jumped, an industry group said Wednesday.

The Mortgage Bankers Association said its seasonally adjusted index of mortgage application activity, which includes both refinancing and home purchase demand, rose 10.3 percent in the week ended June 6.

The MBA's seasonally adjusted index of refinancing applications rose 11 percent, while the gauge of loan requests for home purchases, a leading indicator of home sales, increased 9.3 percent.

Fixed 30-year mortgage rates averaged 4.34 percent in the week, up 8 basis points from 4.26 percent the week before.

The survey covers more than 75 percent of U.S. retail residential mortgage applications, according to MBA.

7 Features That Will Help Your Home Sell Faster

Mortgage Applications Rise As Rates Climb

Buyers who want this feature: 93 percent Cost to renovate: $2,637-$3,077 for an 80-square-foot space (replacing existing cabinetry, countertops, sink and flooring, painting the walls, and updating the plumbing and lighting fixtures) Fifty-seven percent of home buyers say they wouldn't buy a home without a laundry area. "Having a separate room [to use for things such as folding or ironing clothes] helps to keep the mess out of your living space," says Paul Sullivan, a Newton, Massachusetts, remodeler and custom builder. "Potential buyers will see it as a huge benefit." The laundry room in this Charlotte, North Carolina, home has a space large enough for a full-size washer and dryer, storage space for folded clothes and laundry supplies, additional electrical outlets and a sink.

Buyers who want this feature: 90 percent Cost to buy and install: $150 to $250 per fixture Exterior lighting is the most-wanted outdoor feature, according to the National Association of Home Builders. "Exterior lighting -- specifically, wall lanterns and landscape lights for accent plus above ground spotlights aimed at the front wall -- makes an attractive first impression and enhance curb appeal after dark," says Neil Parsons, owner of Design Build Pros, a Toms River, New Jersey, remodeling firm. The lighting at this four-bedroom, 4½-bathroom Cave Creek, Arizona, home illuminates the front walkway, with recessed fixtures along the front porch.

Buyers who want this feature: 89 percent Cost to buy and install: $270-$800 per window Swapping out your old windows for new fuel-efficient versions (similar to the window replacement done to this Lawrenceville, Georgia, home) will help your home stand out to buyers looking to cut down on utility costs. Energy Star-qualified windows, which can help reduce energy bills by up to 15 percent, come equipped with an invisible coating, vacuum-sealed spaces filled with inert gas between panes, sturdier weather stripping and improved framing materials -- all of which reduce undesirable heat gain and loss in the home. "Buyers are most impressed with smart, energy-efficient choices that in no way limit their comfort, but in every way save them money in the long run," Lewis says.

Buyers who want this feature: 86 percent Cost to install: $2,025-$2,363 for a 380-square-foot space (including adding cabinetry, a peg wallboard for tools and improved lighting and electrical circuits) Buyers with growing families need lots of storage space. "A seller should ensure that such bonus space is easily accessible and wonderfully organized," Lewis says. Additional storage units in the garage (similar to this Wilsonville, Oregon, home) help to keep clutter out of the main living areas. Unlike an attic or backyard shed, the garage is easily accessible.

Buyers who want this feature: 85 percent Cost to install: $1,000+ Eat-in kitchens are a must-have for many, especially families with children. "[It] adds soul to a home," Lewis says. It's a space where families often congregate in the morning for breakfast. Or in the evening for dinner so everyone can share highlights from their day. If you're looking to maximize space by knocking out a wall to allow for a small table and chairs in your kitchen (similar to the recently remodeled Salt Lake City home shown here), you should first determine whether the wall is structural or load bearing, Parsons says. Another concern is the possibility of mechanicals in the wall, such as plumbing, duct work and electrical wiring, that may need to be removed, he adds. Lastly, once an interior wall has come down, the flooring material that surrounds the drywall and base molding will need to be patched up. Removing a wall is relatively inexpensive, but that price can quickly escalate if additional repair work is needed, Parsons warns.

Buyers who want this feature: 85 percent Cost to install: Varies depending on design and location Additional storage space in the kitchen is a big plus for potential home-buyers. Walk-in pantries that have built-in organization systems help make an tight space feel less cluttered. "The key is [having] strong adjustable shelving that allows people to change things around as their needs change," Sullivan says. It's a bonus if your pantry also allows you to neatly tuck away mops and brooms. The walk-in kitchen pantry in this Hoover, Alabama, home has several built-in shelving units, counter space for small appliances and storage hooks for mops and brooms.

Buyers who want this feature: 50 percent Cost to install: $100-$300 Wireless home security systems rank the highest among technology features buyers would like to have most, according to homebuilders association. Systems that can be easily controlled by a tablet or smart phone app are especially attractive, Parsons adds. Installing a wireless home security system is less expensive than a hard-wired version and doesn't require professional assistance to install. The two-bedroom, two-bathroom condo in the trendy Dupont Circle neighborhood of Washington comes with a wireless alarm system.

Summary: Applications for U.S. home mortgages rose last week as both purchase and refinancing applications jumped, the Mortgage Bankers Association says.


Before you go, we thought you'd like these...

Cash or credit? If you're trying to watch your weight, you may want to pay in cash the next time you're at the grocery store. That's because a new study published in the

Researchers at the State University of New York analyzed the shopping habits of 1,000 households over a six-month period to examine the factors influencing buyer behavior. Specifically, they set out to determine whether the mode of payment affects consumers' ability to control their impulsive urges. The shoppers alternated between using credit and cash at the supermarket.

It turns out that when using credit or debit cards to pay for the purchases, consumers filled their shopping baskets with a larger proportion of unhealthy or "vice products," and they were more likely to make impulsive food choices.

Paying in cash increases what's known as the "pain of payment," and curbs the desire to buy junk food like cookies, cakes and pies, the researchers found. "The pain of paying in cash can curb impulsive urges to purchase such unhealthy food products," the authors conclude. "Credit card payments, in contrast, are relatively painless and weaken impulse control."

The authors note that the number of obese Americans has increased substantially in the past two decades, while credit cards have replaced cash as the preferred form of payment during the same time period.

One more dieting tip can be culled from the research: People who did their shopping on weekends were less likely to purchase unhealthy food items, ostensibly because they used prepared shopping lists.


What is the true nature of Donald Trump?

Is he the telegenic billionaire of "The Apprentice," the guy who demands hard work, creativity and honesty?

Or is he the heartless lowlife depicted in "How to Marry a Multi-Millionaire," a new book by securities lawyer Ted Farris? Farris writes under the pseudonym Ted Morgan and insists that he got all the unflattering stories from writer and money manager Kate Bohner.

Bohner yesterday denied Farris' claims and initially insisted: "I don't actually know him."

Trump, meanwhile, told Lowdown: "It's fiction. Total fiction. This wise guy just made it up. Kate's a terrific young woman."

So - what is the true nature of Kate Bohner?

A former model, she gained a certain notoriety years ago when her ex-husband, writer Michael Lewis, rhapsodized in The New York Times about her perfect derriere.

Bohner - who was co-author of the 1997 book "Trump: The Art of the Comeback" - eventually acknowledged that she collaborated with Farris on a book proposal that she described as "The Gold Diggers Guide to High Net Worth Dating."

"It was supposed to be a 'Sex and the City'-type thing," she said. "I never wrote anything about Trump in that book."

But Farris claims in his Trump chapter that the billionaire reneged on a promise to pay Bohner a $100,000 bonus if "The Art of the Comeback" broke No. 5 on The Times' best seller list. When it hit No. 3 and Bohner tried to collect, Trump allegedly said no way and added: "Kateso, sue me."

Later in the chapter, Farris writes: "Kate told us she had watched The Donald offer 10 cents on the dollar to settle a bill he owed to a contractor with four kids who had just lost a big job. She had seen him fire that contractor's brother, a steam fitter, on Christmas Day."

Yesterday, Bohner fumed to Lowdown, "I find this to be libelous and slanderous and I'm considering my options."

Farris, meanwhile, told Lowdown that Bohner was a full partner in the book proposal: "When the book did not sell initially, she bowed out of the project and signed a release allowing me to publish the book with the parts she contributed. Among the parts she wrote herself and contributed to the book were the chapter on Trump."

Bohner maintains: "I was never privy to that type of information."

It all sounds pretty Trumped-up to me.

SHE'D RADHA BE WIELDING A KNIFE

Aussie actress Radha Mitchell has taken a liking to cosmetic surgery, but not in the way you might think: She wants to practice it.

"If I had a chance to do something different, I would be a plastic surgeon," the smokin'-hot 31-year-old confided to Lowdown at Wednesday night's premiere party for "Melinda and Melinda," Woody Allen's latest comedic effort. "I'd do creative reconstructions, like if people wanted horns or tails, that kind of thing."

Mitchell, who maybe was still in character as the movie's self-medicating basket case of a title heroine, insisted on adding: "I like squeezing pimples, and I like blood and pus. And if you can turn that into some kind of artistic pursuit, that'd be kind of perfect."

Elsewhere at the party, Interview mag editor Ingrid Sischy - host of the festivities at Pastis - busied herself bending Jon Bon Jovi's ear, while James Lipton tried and tried - and apparently failed - to wrangle "Melinda" star Will Ferrell onto "Inside the Actors Studio." Ferrell's performance as a lovesick neurotic bears an eerie resemblance to vintage Woody, but the 69-year-old Allen tried to downplay the similarities.

"It's a completely different approach that we have," the director declared, "but that's what's interesting about comedy - that we can attack subjects from such totally different perspectives and, when we're both successful at it, amuse people. I guess what I have in common with him is that we both earn our living basically being funny."

Speaking of eerie similarities, fashion designer Tara Subkoff was squiring a lanky fellow who was the spitting image of (but definitely was not) ex-boyfriend Wes Anderson.

On the cable news channels late Wednesday afternoon, you could see the 71-year-old Robert Blake, live in a Los Angeles courtroom, overwhelmed with emotion on being acquitted of murder. If, at the same moment, you'd switched to Turner Classic Movies, you'd have seen 9-year-old Bobby Blake starring opposite Donna Reed and Dan

Dailey in the 1942 movie "Mokey," about a little hellion who can't get along with his stepmother. The TCM people assure me it was a coincidence.

STOPPED AT THE VELVET ROPE: That was Wyclef Jean being denied entry to the China Club the other night - while a lot of other people, including Christian Slater, were partying inside - because Jean's footwear apparently didn't pass the club's fastidious no-sneaker code. "I wouldn't let people with sneakers into my nightclub, either. But look at these!" Wyclef told the doorman, pointing to his patent leather black-and-tan shoes (which did look a little sporty). While the doorman, artist James Tully, tried to get a ruling from the manager, Wyclef and his fur-clad posse waited patiently for 20 minutes in the cold until they'd had enough, turned on their incorrect heels and ran full speed down Eighth Ave.

HELP TIM RUSSERT WRITE HIS NEXT BEST SELLER! Now that Random House is planning a Father's Day 2006 release of the "Meet the Press" host's sequel to "Big Russ and Me," Russert's partly ghost-written paean to his salt-of-the-earth dad, he's looking for free writing samples to fill up the pages. Russert's Web site, bigrussandme.com, exhorts: "Tell Tim a story about your Dad!" If Tim uses your story, forget about being paid, but you will get an autographed copy of the book.

DO YOU THINK HE'S PHLEGMY? A cold-ridden Rod Stewart soldiered through a dinner concert the other night at the Wall Street Cipriani. "I've had this f-ing cold for a week," the rocker told his audience, which included Les Moonves and Julie Chen, Vincent Gallo and Sean Lennon. "I sound much better on the CD."

Summary: What is the true nature of Donald Trump? Is he the telegenic billionaire of "The Apprentice,"the guy who demands hard work, creativity and honesty? Or is he the heartless lowlife depicted in "How to Marry a Multi-Millionaire,"a new book by securities lawyer Ted Farris? Farris writes under the pseudonym Ted Morgan and insists that he got all the unflattering stories from writer and money


By RICHARD HUFF DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITER

Wednesday, November 29th 2000, 2:15AM

Coming off a 10-year run on Fox' "Beverly Hills, 90210," Jennie Garth wasn't looking to get right back to work.

But then Darren Star, producer of "90210," called her about appearing on his new Fox drama, "The $treet."

"I wasn't sure about going on to a show, it's not my show," Garth told the Daily News. "It's a guest star. I'm a facilitator. I don't have to stay too long. Hopefully, I can help the show and get some great tape."

But Star presented a convincing argument. And tonight at 9, Garth kicks off a six-episode run as Gillian Sherman, a socialite who adds a twist to the Wall Street series.

Since the trendsetting "90210" ended, Garth has spent her time rearing her 3-year-old daughter, Luca Bella, and, more recently, planning her wedding to Luca's father, actor Peter Facinelli.

Besides the family issues to deal with, Garth was also concerned about her next professional move. After any successful series ends, finding the right project can be tricky.

"That's the scary part of TV," she said. "You never know. But for me, it was going back to work with Darren. He's kind of hot right now. It made sense to partner up with him. And Fox is a network I'm very comfortable with, that made it another easy decision."

It also helped that the character interested her.

Sherman is a fun, "live-for-the-moment girl," Garth said.

There is certainly some benefit for someone like Garth, who was closely associated with another show, to come in as a guest star. For starters, she doesn't have to carry the series, which is filmed in New York. And when the guest gig is up, she goes home to California, where she admittedly feels more comfortable.

"I'm really happy that I'm not in every scene," she said. "If the show doesn't rest on my shoulders, it's nice. We all worked so hard on ["90210"]. This show is just kind of a breeze for me. I'm loving it."

Though she's only signed for six episodes, Garth isn't ruling out more, although she is hankering to get back home.

"There's been some preliminary talk, not with me, but my peeps," she said.

Eventually, she wants to do another show, one with her fingerprints all over it, but for now she's more focused on "The $treet" and her 200-person wedding in January.

"I'd love to do another television show that I sort of build from the ground up, that I have something invested in," she said. "It's about sitting down and just trying to be creative."

Exactly what kind of show she wants to do is up in the air. Though she's known for her series and telefilm drama work, she's not opposed to sticking her toe into the comedy waters. She's fond of series such as HBO's "Sex and the City," also done by Star.

"I'm definitely exploring my options," she said. "I just need to do one thing where they see me. I can be so funny. I have a really fun sense of humor. People just need to see me."

Summary: Coming off a 10-year run on Fox' "Beverly Hills, 90210,"Jennie Garth wasn't looking to get right back to work. But then Darren Star, producer of "90210,"called her about appearing on his new Fox drama, "The .""I wasn't sure about going on to a show, it's not my show,"Garth told the Daily News. "It's a guest star. I'm a facilitator. I don't have to


Saturday, May 2th 1998, 2:04AM

JACK (The Rapper) Gibson, one of the pioneer black deejays, has recorded a fascinating two-hour history of black radio, developed from his own half-century of experience.

Gibson for years edited "Mello Yello," a trade mag that boosted radio in general and black radio in particular. He now lives in Nevada and he's mostly retired, though he does a weekly show on a station in Las Vegas.

"It's radio the way it was," says Gibson. "People love it."

His history CD was taken from a special he did in Vegas, and Gibson says it's available to other stations now.

Gibson also keeps in touch with colleagues from the old days, including Hal Jackson of WBLS (107.5 FM) and wouldn't it be interesting if Gibson and Jackson did some kind of Sunday affair for Black Music Month in June?

But at the very least, it's good that Gibson is recording his part of the black radio story, which often gets lost. He can be reached in Henderson, Nev., at (702) 435-9967.

THINKING PERSON'S RADIO: "The Infinite Mind," a weekly series that will explore, yes, the human mind, launches tomorrow at 3 p.m. on WNYC (820 AM).

Hosted by Fred Goodwin, former director of the National Institute of Mental Health, and produced by the award-winning Lichtenstein Media, "Infinite Mind" will explore health, behavior and every realm it can think of. The first show will focus on circadian rhythms and mood, jet lag, shift work, illness and medication all in terms regular people can understand.

AROUND THE DIAL: Cultural historian Delilah Jackson talks with Dr. Fred Carter tomorrow at 2 p.m. at the Hatch-Billups Collection, 491 Broadway, at Broome St. Among his topics: the history of black radio. Admission is free. . . .

WABC (770 AM) does its annual pet adopt-a-thon today 9 a.m. through tomorrow at 9 p.m. from the North Shore Animal League in Port Washington. Morning co-host Mike Gallagher will be on hand, and everyone is invited to meet the animals. . . . Marc Coppola of WAXQ (104.3 FM) is featured in the film "The Court" that's being shown at the New York Film Festival tomorrow at 7 p.m. at the Cantor Film Center. . . .

Long-time music promoter and historian Walt Gollender guests tomorrow night with Don K. Reed on WCBS-FM (101.1), 7 p.m.-midnight. To mark Frankie Valli's birthday, they'll be playing music from his first successful group, the Four Lovers. . . . WHUD (100.7 FM) salutes the Lilith Fair this weekend. . . .

John Sanders talks about New York radio tomorrow at 6:30 a.m. on WFDU (89.1 FM) with Bill Jaker and Frank Sulek, authors of "The Airwaves of New York." . . . John Platt hosts Pete Seeger tomorrow, 8-11 a.m., on WFUV (90.7 FM). . . . "Good Question," Philip Suraci's call-in quiz show on WMCA (570 AM), grows to an hour tonight, 8-9. Topic is Florence Nightingale.

Summary: JACK (The Rapper) Gibson, one of the pioneer black deejays, has recorded a fascinating two-hour history of black radio, developed from his own half-century of experience. Gibson for years edited "Mello Yello,"a trade mag that boosted radio in general and black radio in particular. He now lives in Nevada and he's mostly retired, though he does a weekly show on a station in Las Vegas. "It's radio the way it was,"says Gibson. "People


On the 17th, Gov. ELLIS, of North Carolina, sent to the Legislature the correspondence between himself and Hon. J. HOLT, then Secretary of War ad interim, relative to the occupation of Forts Johnson and Caswell by State troops. On Jan. 12 Gov. ELLIS wrote:

"Reliable information has reached this Department, that, on the 8th inst, Forts Johnson and Caswell were taken possession of by State troops and persons resident in that vicinity, in an regular manner.

Upon receipt of this information I immediately issued a military order requesting the forts to be restored to the authorities of the United States, which orders will be executed this day.

My information satisfies me that this popular outbreak was caused by a report, very generally credited, but which, for the sake of humanity, I hope is not true, that it was the purpose of the Administration to coerce, the Southern States, and that troops were on their way to garrison the Southern parts and to begin the work of subjugation. This impression is not yet erased from the public mind, which is deeply agitated at the bare contemplation of so great an indignity and wrong, and I would most earnestly appeal to your Excellency to strengthen my hands in my efforts to preserve the public order here, by placing it in my power to give public assurance that no measures of force are contemplated toward us.

Your Excellency will pardon me, therefore, for asking whether the United States forts will be garrisoned with-United States troops during your Administration.

This question I ask in perfect respect, and with an earnes desire to prevent consequences which I know would be regretted by your Excellency as much as myself.

Should I receive assurance that no troops will be sent to this State prior to the 4th of March next, then all will be peace and quiet here, and the property of the United States will be fully protected as therefore. It, however, I am unable to get such assurances, I will not undertake to answer for the consequences.

The forts in this State have long been unoccupled, and their being garrisoned at this time will unquestionably be looked upon as a hostile demonstration, and will, in my opinion, certainly be resisted

Secretary HOLT responded, under date of Jan. 15:

"Your letter of the 12th inst, addressed to the President of the United States, has by him been referred to this Department, and he instructs me to express his gratification at the promptitude with which you have ordered the expulsion of the lawless men who recently occupied Forts Johnson and Coswell: He regards this action on the part of your Excellency as in complete harmony with the honor and patriotic character of the people of North Carolina, whom you so worthily represent.

In reply to your inquiry, whether it is the purpose of the President to garrison the forts of North Carolina during his administration, I am directed to say that they, in common with the other forts, arsenals and public property of the United States, are in the charge of the President, and that if assailed, no matter from what quarter or under what pretext, it is his duty to protect them by all the means which the law has placed at his disposal. It is not his purpose to garrison the forts to which you refer at present, because he considers them entirely safe, as heretofore, under the shelter of that law-abiding sentiment for which the people of North Carolina have ever been distinguished. Should they, however, be attacked or menaced with danger of being seized or taken from the possession of the United States, he could not escape from his constitutional obligation to defend and preserve them. The very satisfactory and patriotic assurance given by your Excellency, justify him, however, in entertaining the confident expectation that no such contingency will arise."

The forts were accordingly surrendered, and the State troops removed.

The New-Orleans papers of Jan. 20, contain an interesting correspondence between Hon. J.M. CALHOUN, Commissioner to Texas from Alabama, and Gov. HOUSTON. Mr. CALHOUN announces the probable withdrawal of Alabama from the Union. His letter was dated the 5th, and asks for sympathy from Texas. Gov. HOUSTON welcomes Mr. CALHOUN to the State, tells him the action which he has already taken to secure the rights of the State, and that Texas- will reserve to itself the right of passing upon the course which she shall pursue ultimately. He reminds him that Alabama has not responded to the proposition which he made for a consultation. It Alabama feels pride in having been "the fit to move in the direction which may possibly result in the severance of all connection with the Federal Government," Gov. HOUSTON assures Mr. CALHOUN that Texas feels an equal pride in having been the first to move in behalf of Southern unity and cooperation. He intimates pretty plainly that Texas intends, in case of a dissolution of the Union, to do all she can to carry her institutions into the territory south and west of her, as a measure of self-defence against the aggressions of Indians and Mexicans. Gov. HOUSTON, in conclusion, expresses the opinion that if the majority now in control of the Government is content to administer it constitutionally, Texas will be content to remain in the Union which has benefited her so greatly, and which has also changed Alabama from a wilderness to a great and populous State.

Underdate of Jan. 8, Gov. HICKS, of Maryland, responds to a letter written him by Hon. J.L. CURRT, Commissioner from Alabama. Cooperation between the Slave Stales he regards as an infraction of the Constitution, which he. as Governor of Maryland, swore to support. The people of that State are firm in their friendship for the Union and will never swerve from it; they have seen, with mortification and regret, the course taken by South Carolina, for in their opinion it is better to use the Union for the enforcement of their rights than to break it up because of apprehensions that the provisions of the Constitution will be disregarded, and they will cling to it until it shall actually become the instrument of destruction to their rights and peace and safety. Disunion would be ruin to Maryland, and in the proposed Southern Confederacy she sees no refuge from the ills .she must suffer in such an event. "Let us,'' says Gov. HICKS, "Have our rights in the Union, and through and by the Constitution."


By MAKI BECKER DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITER

Friday, September 6th 2002, 8:04AM

Veterans of the Gulf War have a message for the White House: Proceed with caution.

They are wary of Saddam Hussein unleashing biological or chemical weapons on soldiers, or, more likely, firing them at civilians in Israel.

"If we are to go back in, I would say, do like what his father [former President George Bush] did - do it the right way," said Jamie Gonzalez, a Staten Islander, who as a Marine sergeant helped recapture Kuwait airport a decade ago.

"Follow everything to the letter," Gonzalez suggested. "Make sure troops have all the equipment they need if we are going in. Don't rush into it."

Retired four-star Army Gen. Barry McCaffrey is certain the Iraqis have significant bio-chemical capability and are trying to acquire nuclear weapons.

"We'll be forced to employ military actions to destroy Iraqi armed forces and to take out their development capability for weapons of mass destruction," he said.

McCaffrey warned Bush that he needs to watch out for two dangers: Iraqi missile strikes against the Israelis and Saudis, and the use of chemical and biological weapons against civilians.

McCaffrey believes the Iraqis wouldn't use such weapons against American forces, who are well-equipped to deal with bio-chemical agents.

But some veteran advocacy groups say they are worried about the use of bio-chemical weapons, which many believe caused mysterious illnesses that have been dubbed Gulf War Syndrome.

"It's the elephant in the room that no one's talking about," said Steve Robinson, executive director of the National Gulf War Resource Center in Silver Spring, Md., who served in the Army's special forces as a staff sergeant during Operation Desert Storm.

"When you look at Agent Orange and Gulf War Syndrome, you have basically created this credibility problem," said Joyce Riley of the American Gulf War Veterans Association in Missouri.

But Robinson said if the President spells out his reasons for going after Saddam, any trooper will play his part.

Summary: Veterans of the Gulf War have a message for the White House: Proceed with caution. They are wary of Saddam Hussein unleashing biological or chemical weapons on soldiers, or, more likely, firing them at civilians in Israel. "If we are to go back in, I would say, do like what his father [former President George Bush] did - do it the right way,"said Jamie Gonzalez, a


Random House. 372 pages. $24.95.

In the ingenious new literary mystery ''The Dante Club,'' someone with intimate knowledge of ''The Divine Comedy'' appears to be staging murders that mirror the punishments of Dante's ''Inferno.'' Considering that the prodigiously clever first-time author, Matthew Pearl, is a Harvard- and Yale-educated Dante scholar who won a 1998 prize from the Dante Society of America, it is fortunate that he was content with simply writing a book.

Mr. Pearl has the ambitious idea of summoning the ''Yankee Athens'' -- Boston -- in 1865, just after the Civil War and on the eve of a rarefied literary breakthrough. A small, distinguished group, including Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, James Russell Lowell and the rather self-congratulatory Dr. Oliver Wendell Holmes (''I have a chair in Anatomy and Physiology at the Medical College -- really more a settee than a chair, for the breadth of its subjects''), has undertaken a controversial project: bringing Dante's work to America and its ''ungloved masses.''

As Mr. Pearl explains, drawing upon a wealth of pertinent poems, letters, essays, novels and journals, this is no simple undertaking. The idea of a translation for American readers has raised hackles, most notably at Harvard, with which the Dante Club members are variously affiliated. Dr. Augustus Manning, treasurer of the Harvard Corporation, is prepared to make threats to stop publication. ''Dr. Manning had no intention of allowing foreign poisons to be spread under the disguise of literature,'' Mr. Pearl explains.

But the scholars, with an ardor for Dante to match the author's own, are determined to proceed, at least until their Dante fever turns deadly. In a book that otherwise sticks to historical truth, Mr. Pearl has concocted such a wily, convoluted murder plot that the autograph-signing Dr. Holmes begins sounding like his namesake, Sherlock. And Mr. Lowell declares: ''Our Lucifer has been racing us to see what will come first -- Dante translated into ink or into blood!''

Though it takes a degree of contrivance to construct such a story, Mr. Pearl has also managed to make imaginative use of his book's social and intellectual backdrop. Among scholars who, as the book says, look ''out of place without armchairs,'' and say ''the good godson of Cerberus'' when referring to a pet dog, the realities of Brahmin snobbery, new immigration and Civil War upheaval still manage to make themselves felt.

The cathartic importance of Dante's nightmare visions, and the depth of his sense of justice, are thoughtfully integrated into this plot, even if Mr. Pearl occasionally seems to overreach. Though he makes frequent use of a proud mulatto detective named Nicholas Rey, explaining the postwar bigotry that still plagues him (and drawing upon research from W. Marvin Dulaney's ''Black Police in America,'') Rey comes across as a composite of facts rather than an animated character.

Besides, it is the big literary guns who dominate ''The Dante Club.'' And they offer Mr. Pearl so much to work with. Here is the future Supreme Court justice Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr., nicknamed Wendy and wondering why his famous father, known for naming things like anesthesia, couldn't come up with something more creative for his son. Here is the famous publisher William Ticknor, having already caved in under pressure to eschew Walt Whitman's ''Leaves of Grass'' and now being bullied about Dante's infernal visions.

And here is Mr. Lowell, who ''felt much like Sir Launfal, the grail-seeking hero of his most popular poem, as he galloped through the iron portal of Harvard Yard.'' Here are cameo appearances by Nathaniel Hawthorne and Ralph Waldo Emerson, the latter being the only American writer with fame to rival Longfellow's. If this smart, enveloping book has a minor flaw, it is the occasional literal-mindedness with which Mr. Pearl folds such research into his narrative. But soon enough ''The Dante Club'' takes off and goes aloft, thanks to its own original imagination.

The crimes are rendered with a ghastly specificity that suggests Dante by way of ''Hannibal'' and thus run the risk of being too lurid to suit this book's rarefied atmosphere. For instance, the first murder involves a Massachusetts chief justice who is discovered naked and maggot ridden, as graphically described here. But his fearsome condition jibes not only with Dante, but with the inspired synthesis that shapes the book's finale. Mr. Pearl earns the right to dwell on horrific punishment by integrating it all too credibly into the book's larger world.

Working on a vast canvas, Mr. Pearl keeps this mystery sparkling with erudition. Among its many sidelights are the attack by Dr. Louis Agassiz of Harvard upon Darwin's theory of evolution; a discussion of the Fugitive Slave Act and its consequences; the resistance faced by Italian immigrants, who number only about 300 in the Boston area in 1865; and the killing of Dr. George Parkman by John W. Webster, a crime that still haunts Holmes.

Most vivid is the battle between the Harvard Corporation and the principals' artistic freedom. ''I do not understand how you can put your good name, everything you've worked for your whole life, on the line for something like this,''says Manning, who has threatened to shut down Lowell's Dante class. And Lowell replies: ''Don't you wish to heaven you could?''

Mr. Pearl, with this captivating brain teaser as his debut novel, seems also to have put his life's work on the line in melding scholarship with mystery. He does justice to both.

Photo: Matthew Pearl (Beth Kelly/Random House)

Summary: THE DANTE CLUB  By Matthew Pearl  Random House. 372 pages. $24.95.      In the ingenious new literary mystery ''The Dante Club,'' someone with intimate knowledge of ''The Divine Comedy'' appears to be staging murders that mirror the punishments of Dante's ''Inferno.'' Considering that the prodigiously clever first-time author, Matthew Pearl, is a Harvard- and Yale-educated Dante scholar who won a 1998 prize from the Dante Society of America, it is fortunate that he was content with simply writing a book.


As soon as I sat down at my table at the Blue Agave Club on Main Street in Pleasanton, a basket of chips and three different bowls of salsa were brought over on a triangular plate.

Delivery of chips and salsa at a Mexican restaurant is not new or different. But these three salsas were so unique and flavorful that they helped set the tone for the meal.

Blue Agave Club bills its fare as haute Mexican cuisine. The restaurant also features a list of more than 200 tequilas to go along with a full bar and a wide selection of Mexican and domestic beers. For the most part, the expectations set by those salsas are met -- with a skip or two here and there, particularly in the area of appetizers.

But those salsas -- one is a mild mixture of diced tomatoes, jalapenos, cilantro and onions; the second a deeper, richer, hotter mixture of ancho chiles; and the third with a nice habanero kick hinted that the kitchen's use of heat as a flavoring agent was skilled.

The interior of the restaurant consists of two small dining rooms, with a snug bar tucked into a corner. The main dining area, when weather permits -- and right now, it's permitting -- is a large patio shaded by large trees. A giant mosaic of a blue agave, the plant from which tequila is made, is embedded in the floor, and metal tables and chairs fill the area. As the sun sets, soft lighting and live guitar music on weekends set a romantic mood, although it's tempered somewhat by those unforgiving chairs.

Also unforgiving were some of the appetizers we ordered. Queso fundido ($9.95), a fondue of poblanos, corn kernels and onions served with mini white corn tortillas, arrived congealed into one big, unappetizing lump. Chalupas ($9.50), four mini corn tortillas topped with a little bit of shredded lettuce, a bit of bland shredded chicken and cojita cheese drizzled with red and green sauce, were cold and uninspired.

I was beginning to worry that my assessment of the kitchen, based on the salsas, was way off, but when a hearty bowl of tortilla soup ($7.95) arrived, my expectations were restored. Blue Agave's rendition is satisfying, a thick, spicy tomato-based chicken soup topped with dollop of sour cream, tortilla strips, jack cheese, diced onions and cilantro.

Things kept getting better. Camarones Emperador ($22.50) features shrimp prepared one of eight different sauces. We settled on Alex, a chipotle chile sauce, that enhanced the seafood, as did the the creamy refried black beans.

Enchiladas del mar ($18.50), a choice of shrimp or crab (or one of each) enchiladas drenched in a creamy seafood sauce. This was a rich dish, but the sweet Dungeness crab and bay shrimp were complemented, not overpowered, by the creamy sauce.

Mole poblano ($19.95) is also a good rendition, with tender boneless breast of chicken smothered in a long-simmered rich dark sauce made of dried chiles, seeds, nuts and unsweetened chocolate.

Seafood is also treated well by the Blue Agave kitchen. Mahi-mahi achiote ($24.95) features a large grilled fillet served with a tangy mango pico di gallo.

On the other hand, Plato Huitzilopoxtle ($22.50), a combination of grilled skirt steak, mole enchilada, chile relleno and guacamole, was more hit and miss. The chile relleno -- a poblano pepper split open and covered with cheese, was disappointing -- although the grilled skirt steak was tender and well-prepared.

Salads are a strength at lunch, with five offered as entrees. Ensalada del mar ($10.95), features crab and bay shrimp on a bed of mixed greens with sliced egg, diced tomatoes and avocado, all pulled together by a fresh, tangy balsamic vinaigrette that was just sweet enough to perk up the greens.

Desserts don't get much play on the menu -- they're listed simply as Mexican flan, chocolate cake and margarita souffle (all $7.95) -- yet they deserve to. All three are very good.

Mexican flan features a thin layer of cookie crumbs under the flan and caramelized syrup topping; chocolate cake is a wedge of thick, rich fudge-like creation served with a scoop of coconut ice cream; and the margarita souffle is a combination of tequila and vanilla ice cream whipped together and then frozen in an edible chocolate ramekin. All three were superior on our visits, and on one occasion we ordered a dish of just the coconut ice cream, we enjoyed it so much.

Service on three visits was as varied as the salsas that begin the meals. On our first visit, our waiter forgot to place our order and when I inquired, assured me "a busy night" despite the fact that five tables seated well after ours were in the middle of their entrees while our appetizers had not yet arrived.

The second visit was a major improvement; this server was as seamless and efficient as he could have been. On the third night, food arrived on time but our server was agonizingly slow in returning to refill glasses, remove plates and generally check on our well-being.

Still, Blue Agave Club bills itself as a place to find upscale Mexican cuisine, and generally delivers.

Summary: Blue Agave Club bills its fare as haute Mexican cuisine.  The restaurant also features a list of more than 200 tequilas to go along with a full bar and a wide selection of Mexican and domestic beers.  [...] those salsas -- one is a mild mixture of diced tomatoes, jalapenos, cilantro and onions; the second a deeper, richer, hotter mixture of ancho chiles; and the third with a nice habanero kick hinted that the kitchen's use of heat as a flavoring agent was skilled.  The interior of the restaurant consists of two small dining rooms, with a snug bar tucked into a corner.  The main dining area, when weather permits -- and right now, it's permitting -- is a large patio shaded by large trees.  A giant mosaic of a blue agave, the plant from which tequila is made, is embedded in the floor, and metal tables and chairs fill the area.  Queso fundido ($9.95), a fondue of poblanos, corn kernels and onions served with mini white corn tortillas, arrived congealed into one big, unappetizing lump.  Chalupas ($9.50), four mini corn tortillas topped with a little bit of shredded lettuce, a bit of bland shredded chicken and cojita cheese drizzled with red and green sauce, were cold and uninspired.  Blue Agave's rendition is satisfying, a thick, spicy tomato-based chicken soup topped with dollop of sour cream, tortilla strips, jack cheese, diced onions and cilantro.  Enchiladas del mar ($18.50), a choice of shrimp or crab (or one of each) enchiladas drenched in a creamy seafood sauce.  Mole poblano ($19.95) is also a good rendition, with tender boneless breast of chicken smothered in a long-simmered rich dark sauce made of dried chiles, seeds, nuts and unsweetened chocolate.  Mahi-mahi achiote ($24.95) features a large grilled fillet served with a tangy mango pico di gallo.  [...] Plato Huitzilopoxtle ($22.50), a combination of grilled skirt steak, mole enchilada, chile relleno and guacamole, was more hit and miss.  The chile relleno -- a poblano pepper split open and covered with cheese, was disappointing -- although the grilled skirt steak was tender and well-prepared.  Ensalada del mar ($10.95), features crab and bay shrimp on a bed of mixed greens with sliced egg, diced tomatoes and avocado, all pulled together by a fresh, tangy balsamic vinaigrette that was just sweet enough to perk up the greens.  Desserts don't get much play on the menu -- they're listed simply as Mexican flan, chocolate cake and margarita souffle (all $7.95) -- yet they deserve to.  Mexican flan features a thin layer of cookie crumbs under the flan and caramelized syrup topping; chocolate cake is a wedge of thick, rich fudge-like creation served with a scoop of coconut ice cream; and the margarita souffle is a combination of tequila and vanilla ice cream whipped together and then frozen in an edible chocolate ramekin.  All three were superior on our visits, and on one occasion we ordered a dish of just the coconut ice cream, we enjoyed it so much.  On our first visit, our waiter forgot to place our order and when I inquired, assured me "a busy night" despite the fact that five tables seated well after ours were in the middle of their entrees while our appetizers had not yet arrived.


Leitzinger was similarly circumspect about the Vitesse's $2.47 million price tag. “When you get behind the wheel, you can see where the money went. This isn't a car with a diamond-encrusted clock. Compared to a racing car, the Veyron is much more complex. It's a pretty easy job to make a car go fast; just keep putting in bigger engines and taking weight off. But to make a car fast, safe and comfortable while complying with regulations, it's extremely difficult.”

Also obscured amid the hand-wringing is the fact that the Veyron is not just a car, but a research environment, and that a variety of manufacturing techniques devised during its development have percolated into other VW Group vehicles, among them the261mpg Volkswagen XL1. Asked to describe the Veyron-XL1 cross-pollination, Bugatti's engineering team wrote in an email that lightweight carbon-fibre composite construction techniques devised specifically for the Veyron “very significantly contributed to minimizing the one-litre car's fuel consumption.”

For a brief time, Leitzinger allowed this journalist to take the reins of the Veyron. Not wanting to induce a second, possibly expensive attack of jumpy leg syndrome, said journalist was content to explore the hypercar’s surprisingly sedate side.

Though its suspension is decidedly firm, the ride remained well short of harsh, even on pockmarked rural asphalt. At 60mph, while discussing the curious fact that several Veyron owners own more than one Veyron, there was no din to shout over, as both wind and engine noise were minimal. At one point, Leitzinger hinted that he occasionally enjoyed spooling the Vitesse's four turbochargers up just to hear the noise.

The subtext was clear. With foot on the gas, the insistent harmonics of four bespoke turbines swelled from the carbon fibre intakes. The car’s velocity increased in step with the song, prompting its driver’s right foot to retreat. Waste gates vented their pent-up exhaust gases, and the Vitesse released a great vaporous sigh that evoked nothing so much as a deeply exasperated dragon.

Summary: BBC Autos hitches a ride with Butch Leitzinger â aka the Bugatti Whisperer â through Californiaâs wine country in the 254mph Veyron 16.4 Grand Sport Vitesse.


At Green Street Studios in Cambridge, push is coming to shove as the venerable dance organization confronts dire financial circumstances. For more than two decades, the Central Square institution has been one of the top venues for dance creation, rehearsal, performance, and training in Greater Boston. But because of repeated rent increases, it may be forced to close next June when the current lease expires. Choreographer Marcus Schulkind, one of the organization’s founders and longtime teachers, calls it “a 22-year-dream that may be at its end point.”

Then again, maybe not. The organization’s board members met Sept. 6 to explore options to relocate rather than close, and they will hold an open community meeting Sept. 21 to solicit additional ideas and input.

Meanwhile, members of the Boston dance community are gathering to support the organization’s survival with a series of fund-raising performances. The first happens this weekend in Green Street’s black-box theater. Organized by Jessica Muise and Green Street Studios marketing manager and public programming coordinator Sarah Mae Gibbons, it will showcase a variety of choreographers and companies. Participants include Gibbons, Annie Kloppenberg & Company, Audra Carabetta, Audrey MacLean, EgoArt, Inc., Impact Dance Company, Intimations Dance, Angie Moon Dance Theatre, Mariah Steele/Quicksilver Dance, and SPUNKandCOmpany. “These companies are mostly young and aspiring, and it’s exciting because they may not be as able to host their own shows,” Gibbons says. “A lot of the work hasn’t been seen before.”

The second program in the series is planned for Dec. 13 and 14 and will feature artists who have passed through Green Street and gone on to perform nationally and internationally. “This will be geared to some of the heavy hitters who’ve been involved over the years in many different mediums, from classical ballet to modern,” says Schulkind. A concert earlier in the year showcased Green Street Studios teachers.

Like the larger Dance Complex around the corner, Green Street Studios’ beginnings as a grass-roots, artist-run initiative are humble. With a common dream and a lot of elbow grease, five young artists (Schulkind, Dance Alliance executive director Ruth Birnberg, Cheri Opperman, Paula Josa-Jones, and Pam White) began slowly converting an empty shell of space on the second floor of 185 Green St. into a local mecca for dance, with office space, bathrooms, dressing rooms, and three rehearsal/teaching studios, one of which converts into a 125-seat theater.

The nonprofit has hosted more than 2,000 performances. Currently, up to 500 students of all ages and skill levels come into the studios each week, studying a range of styles. Through projects like Moving Target, Green Street Studios also brings in master teachers from around the country to teach open classes. Twenty companies and/or solo performers use Green Street as their artistic base, including Boston Percussive Dance, which is a full-time tenant in one studio, offering classes and performances in tap, Irish, and flamenco dance. For many dancers and choreographers, like Schulkind, “it’s home.”

“I’m still a little bit in denial,” says Boston Percussive Dance founding director Kieran Jordan. “We’ve put so much energy and time and resources into building a community here. Isolation doesn’t serve the artistic process well, and there is great comfort and inspiration having all this activity under one roof. And the pairing of Green Street and the Dance Complex has made for an incredible cultural neighborhood. It would be a huge loss not to have 185 Green St.”

Initially cooperatively run, Green Street Studios is now run by a six-member board, two part-time employees (Gibbons and scheduling coordinator-development associate Audrey MacLean), and a small but committed band of volunteers. As one might expect from this bare-bones structure, there have been administrative hitches along the way, and with no endowment, financial crises have been common. Just this summer, Green Street Studios made a plea for donations to keep the air conditioning running for classes. Schulkind, the last of the original five founders still actively involved with the organization, temporarily footed the bill himself, and the board says he has personally kept the doors open for the last two months.

“We’ve exhausted all our other options to increase income,” Schulkind says. “We feel that we are financially viable from the fall on because we have so many performances and rentals and teaching, but we’re basically just making ends meet.” He hopes the upcoming community meeting will be a rallying call to possible benefactors as well as those who will feel a genuine loss if Green Street Studios ceases to be.

Green Street Dance dancers Sarah Mae Gibbons and Renee Amirault.

Come June, something will have to give. Members of the board have met with commercial realtors to explore new spaces, but thus far, most of the suitable options lack two prime necessities: parking and a nearby T stop. Another option in discussion is to move Green Street Studios activities to the Dance Complex, but the facility is already tightly booked. “We are exploring how to keep our arms open wide to what Green Street’s needs might be in the coming months,” says Dance Complex’s new director, Peter DiMuro. “It is sad to see this happen to a sister organization literally right outside our backdoor.”

The worst scenario is that the organization will simply fold, leaving a gaping hole in Boston’s dance scene. Schulkind says, “The real question is, does Boston really care about art? Is it only going to be about someone like Mr. Cutler funding five stages out of doors, or is it other people who have another vision to build a training ground and incubator to grow and maintain artistic vitality beyond the academic institutions? That’s really the bigger question for Boston.”

Summary: At Green Street Studios in Cambridge, push is coming to shove as the venerable dance organization confronts dire financial circumstances. For more than two decades, the Central Square institution has been one of the top venues for dance creation, rehearsal, performance, and training in Greater Boston. But because of repeated rent increases, it may be forced to close next June when the current lease expires.  Then again, maybe not. The organization’s board members met Sept. 6 to explore options to relocate rather than close, and they will hold an open community meeting Sept. 21 to solicit additional ideas and input. Meanwhile, members of the Boston dance community are gathering to support the organization’s survival with a series of fund-raising performances.


Two buildings, one all right angles, the other all curves. One is JW3, a new Jewish community centre in Finchley Road, north London, designed by Lifschutz Davidson Sandilands; the other is the Serpentine Sackler Gallery, the renovation and extension of an 1805 gunpowder store to serve as an annexe to the Serpentine Gallery, designed by Zaha Hadid. At £12m and £14.5m respectively, their cost is similar, though JW3 has more than twice the floor area of the gallery. One is about problem solving, the other about creating a problem – or, to put it another way, raising an ambition. They represent poles, mutually exclusive, of contemporary British architecture.

JW3 is the invention of the philanthropist Dame Vivien Duffield, who, inspired by the Jewish Community Centre in Manhattan, thought there should be one in London. In the US such centres are common – most cities of any size have one, and they can go back a century and a half. They serve Jews but also gentiles, offering such things as swimming pools to the community as a whole. JW3 has a nursery school, a hall for performing arts and events, a cafe and restaurant, a cinema, dance studios, learning centres and a resource centre. It also has a sunken outdoor space which may be used for concerts, ice skating or a temporary farm. A small tower of flats, replacing homes that were formerly on the site, rises at one end.

As well as providing facilities, its aims include the encouragement and promotion of Jewish culture, engendering pride and belonging among people who are Jewish, and understanding among those who are not. So the restaurant is a place to eat, but it is also, as the chief executive Nick Viner says, "part of the cultural output", aiming to show Jewish cooking at its best. You can learn krav maga, a form of Jewish self-defence, or you can do fitness classes of no denomination. This delicate combination – of belonging to one group but being open to all – runs through the whole institution.

When it comes to architecture, the way chosen to express its identity is to express it hardly at all. "What is Jewish architecture?" asks Alex Lifschutz of Lifschutz Davidson Sandilands. "It is no different from any other." The most that can be said is that this building is descended from the Bauhaus school of design, some of whose leading lights were Jews, some of whom went on to make Tel Aviv a centre of modernist buildings, some of which look a bit like JW3.

The design is more about bringing together the various parts of the rich brief in a relaxed but coherent whole that allows everything to interconnect and work well. So the cafe and the hall are next to each other and to the outdoor space, such that all work together to form a version of a town square. It's designed to be open to change – if necessary, "it would make a very nice office block", says Lifschutz. Practical challenges, such as the closeness of the brutally busy Finchley Road, had to be met, in this case by setting the building back and putting the outdoor space into a sunken court.

Its concrete construction is warmed up by touches of colour and timber and brick on the block of flats. Elements of bronze and brass add quality. Everything is well made and considered and the light is good. It looks like a good 1960s secondary school or library (which, in case you were wondering, is a compliment) that has also benefited from improvements in waterproofing and sustainability in the past half-century. It's not aiming to be revolutionary but good. We are "using brick as innovatively as we can", says Lifschutz, but in truth you can only go so far in innovating brick. It's like attempting radical bread.

The weaker moments are when JW3's crafted efficiency fails to unbend. The nursery feels too much like converted offices, and the outdoor space is rigid and brittle. More pleasure could have been taken in the diversity and contrasts of the brief, but the chosen palette of materials and details doesn't encourage it. The building is also least inviting when you first see it, when it presents to the street sound-deflecting sheets of glass mitigated by planting, which for now looks uncomfortable. The plants will grow but the place still wants some softness in the construction.

Zaha Hadid, meanwhile, says she wants to create something "fantastic", and almost all the energy of her Serpentine Sackler project is devoted to achieving this aim in one particular place, which is a restaurant and "social space" under a bulging, all white, tent-like roof attached to the old gunpowder store. This interior is indeed extraordinary, an environment of undulation and of layers of brightness into which hollow, light-bearing stalks descend from the ceiling. If JW3 is like a 60s school, this is like something else from the period, a survivor of a forgotten world's fair – let's say an astrophysics pavilion. It's an instant period piece that is likely to find its greatest fulfilment as a place for parties. Which, with premium rates for events hire, will play an important part in the Serpentine's business plan.

This moment of the "fantastic" comes at a price, however, which is more visible outside than in. The curves, ideally fluent, sometimes grind and stutter round corners, and if the structure is intended to float, to touch the ground lightly, it rather labours and heaves. Too-visible joints let down its aspiration to seamlessness, and the building becomes less convincing when it has to deal with the fact of rain, with drains, stains and stray leaves. And talking of climate, it would be nice if the restaurant had large, openable windows so you might connect with the park outside, but the design doesn't allow it.

In the old building you can't see the same love and interest that is bestowed on the tent interior. Its conversion into galleries is mostly routine, with a clumsy moment when a new beam crashes oblivious past old work. There is also one of the more bizarre architectural sights of this century, when the futuristic office of Zaha Hadid switches to dutiful, boxy neo-Georgian in order to make a new rear extension match the gunpowder store. There must be better ways of respecting it than this.

In other words, if you half-close your eyes, preferably at night-time and with the assistance of lighting, food and drink, and forget all the above imperfections, and suspend the suspicion that it might all be a bit kitsch, you can get a kind of whoosh out of the curvy interior. Whether this whoosh is worth paying more than double the cost per square metre of JW3 is questionable. This is neither the Serpentine Gallery nor Hadid at their best.

Together, JW3 and the Serpentine Gallery offer alternatives: you can be sober and responsible or ambitious and extravagant. If, in the comparison of these particular two buildings, the former approach comes off better, at other times it will be reversed. But it's a false opposition that overlooks the possibility that architecture might operate in more than one register. More, it overlooks the need of buildings to adapt, atmospherically as well as functionally, to the purposes they serve. If Hadid's pursuit of the fantastic did not entail the subordination of almost everything else, and if Lifschutz could loosen up at the right moments, we'd be on to something really special.

Summary: London's first Jewish centre and Zaha Hadid's Serpentine annexe cost roughly the same and are poles apart, writes Rowan Moore


The lawyer who was shot by Dick Cheney in a hunting accident has birdshot lodged in his heart and has suffered a minor heart attack.

Peter Banko, the hospital administrator at a hospital in Corpus Christi, Texas, said Harry Whittington, 78, was moved back to the intensive care unit for further treatment on Tuesday morning.

Banko said there was an irregularity in the heartbeat caused by a pellet, and doctors performed a cardiac catheterisation. Whittington expressed a desire to leave the hospital, but Banko said he would probably stay for another week to make sure more shot does not move to other organs or move into other parts of his body."Some of the bird shot appears to have moved and lodged into part of his heart in what we would say is a minor heart attack," Banko said.

The doctors said Whittington did not experience symptoms of a heart attack or any other problems. They left the birdshot in place and said he could live a healthy life with it there.David Blanchard, chief of emergency care, said: "He has not had a heart attack in the traditional sense."

White House physicians who attended to Whittington at the scene after Cheney, the US vice-president, accidentally shot him were involved in the treatment, the officials said.

Step-down unitWhittington had initially been placed in intensive care after the accident on Saturday evening. He had been moved to a "step-down unit" on Monday after doctors decided to leave several birdshot pellets lodged in his skin rather than try to remove them.

A Texas Parks and Wildlife Department report said Whittington was retrieving a downed bird and stepped out of the hunting line he was sharing with Cheney. "Another covey was flushed and Cheney swung on a bird and fired, striking Whittington in the face, neck and chest at approximately 30 yards," the report said.

The wildlife department issued a report on Monday that found the main factor contributing to the accident was a "hunter's judgment". No other secondary factors were found to have played a role.

Newly imposed licenceThe department gave Cheney and Whittington warning citations for breaking Texas hunting law by failing to buy a $7 stamp allowing them to shoot upland game birds.

A department spokesman said warnings are being issued in most cases because the stamp requirement went into effect only five months ago and many hunters were not aware of it.

Cheney's office said on Monday night in a statement that Cheney had a $125 non-resident hunting licence and has sent a $7 cheque to cover the cost of the stamp. "The staff asked for all permits needed, but was not informed of the $7 upland game bird stamp requirement," the statement said.

Summary: The lawyer who was shot by Dick Cheney in a hunting accident has birdshot lodged in his heart and has suffered a minor heart attack.<?xml:namespace prefix = "o" ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" /><o:p></o:p>


Among his set of six canvases that were mostly covered with images of Saddam Hussein's two sons was one entitled Al-Jazeera TV, an abstract work that Wang said represented the role the television channel had played in challenging the dominance of Western networks.

Followed not just by Chinese artists but also by government officials and intellectuals, the Aljazeera story has become a sort of model for China's own attempts to create a globally recognised television network.

Initially suspicious of the Qatar-based media group after US statements that it was a mouthpiece for Usama bin Laden, Chinese television was previously prohibited from using Aljazeera footage and the Aljazeera bureau in Beijing used to struggle to get government interviews.

Discarding their original preconceptions during the Iraq war, Chinese officials are now looking at Aljazeera from a different angle. How can a developing country produce an internationally successful television network?

Often described as a giant, and a not very efficient, bureaucracy, the state-run China Central Television (CCTV) late last year launched the first in a series of continent-wide satellite subscription packages.

Now beaming into North American and Asian living rooms, the 17-channel Great Wall Package (a combination of multilingual CCTV and regional Chinese channels) is the start of a five-year plan to broadcast CCTV across the globe.

Aljazeera's success has becomea sort of model for the ChineseThe thinking behind this is twofold. The first is political. The second is economic.

Aljazeera's success has becomea sort of model for the Chinese

"China feels its voice should be heard internationally. It wants people overseas to know the truth about the country," CCTV's head of overseas programming, Sheng Yilai, explained.

Currently international airwaves for Mandarin Chinese programming are dominated by the Hong Kong-based Phoenix TV and US-based New Tang Dynasty TV, the latter shunned by Beijing for its use of volunteers sympathetic to Falun Gong.

Described in its own literature as "a major mouthpiece of the Communist Party", CCTV makes no bones about what it represents.

In recent years updating it image in response to domestic network competition by introducing live reports and breaking news bulletins, CCTV news sticks close to the official line.

Believing this to be no bad thing so long as one understands CCTV's editorial policy, media lecturer Li Xiguang sees the internationalisation of CCTV as an important component in achieving China's foreign-policy objective of a multi-polar world.

Li Xiguang: Global TV audience iskey to China's foreign-policy aim"President Hu Jintao wants CCTV to be a third media balance with Europe and the United States," Li said.

Li Xiguang: Global TV audience iskey to China's foreign-policy aim

News, however, is only one part of the Great Wall Package. Aiming to promote Chinese culture and society, the package includes programming on sports, films, current affairs and soap operas, an area of Chinese television which has in recent years won plaudits for its tackling of thorny issues such as domestic abuse and premarital sex.

Including the domestically well-established English language channel CCTV 9, which now employs foreign news anchors and presenters, as well as a recently established French and Spanish channel, the package is also targeted at non-Mandarin speakers.

Already the North American package has attracted 10,000 subscribers each paying $30 a month. Fifty thousand subscribers represent the break-even point. Launched in Asia this February CCTV anticipates a faster pick-up rate amongst the region's sizeable Chinese communities.

In addition are the demands of increasing numbers of Chinese nationals now travelling and living overseas. According to government figures, 28.9 million Chinese went overseas in 2004 and the World Tourism Organisation estimate this will grow to 100 million by 2020.

"In the long termCCTV is aiming to become a globally recognised brand and global broadcasteralong the lines of BBC"David Wolf,Burston Marsteller,PR companyComing at the same time as construction begins on its new $1.3 billion headquarters, a giant, gravity-defying twisted doughnut that is destined to become the architectural face of modern Beijing, CCTV's overseas expansion also encapsulates its vision as a major media power.

"In the long termCCTV is aiming to become a globally recognised brand and global broadcasteralong the lines of BBC"David Wolf,Burston Marsteller,PR company

"In the long term CCTV is aiming to become a globally recognised brand and global broadcaster along the lines of BBC," David Wolf of public-relations firm Burston Marsteller says. And with the Beijing Olympics in three years, CCTV will be well positioned able to use this global event to build its brand.

In part a reaction to the increasing competitiveness of domestic Chinese television, CCTV sees overseas markets as long-term sources of revenue from subscriptions and advertising. Within five years the average urban family will be able to receive 300 channels through cable; CCTV currently operates only 13.

Currently in negotiations to launch in Africa and Europe, Shen Yilai sees no reason why local advertisers should not choose to use CCTV as their media platform once healthy subscription levels are reached.

Painter Wang Mai sees Aljazeeraas an inspiring media presence"We will be considering the tastes of the overseas viewer in our programming," Sheng says, adding that he anticipates the use of localised content - in other words, use of Chinese Americans to make programmes for the North American market if subscription numbers warrant it.

Painter Wang Mai sees Aljazeeraas an inspiring media presence

Since the late 1990s, CCTV has embarked on a series of internal reforms and revampings, including enlisting the help of advisers sent from Rupert Murdoch's News Corp.

Persons familiar with the organisation say that while improvements have been made, doing business with CCTV remains a frustratingly long-drawn-out process.

Unsure as to how successful it will be, CCTV's Sheng Yilai is for now emphasising caution. "Lets see how it goes. We are taking it one step at a time," he said.

Summary: At a recent art exhibition in Beijing, painter Wang Mai took as his theme media interpretations of the Iraq war.


FORTUNE — In the spirit of the season, here’s a selection of literary stocking stuffers for you or the bookworm in your life. They include two terrific thrillers, a definitive short story collection, and a pair of engrossing books about biking.

Ben Affleck, who knows a good book when he sees one, is reportedly set to write, direct, produce, and star in the film version of Dennis Lehane’s novel Live By Night. If the reports are true, he’s got himself another winner.

The book follows a bouncing ball named Joe Coughlin, the youngest son of a prominent member of the Boston police department. Joe takes off in a different direction, first mastering the art of petty street crime, then moving on to serious big-time capers as the right-hand man of a local mob boss. His journey is interrupted by a stretch in the Charleston penitentiary, where he learns a few painful facts of life. It’s also where he meets his next boss, a Mafia capo who sends him to Tampa to take charge of a fledgling bootlegging operation.

It’s the mid-1920s. Prohibition is the law of the land, and that means distilleries in the basement of every deserted factory building, speakeasies on every block, gangsters patrolling the streets with blazing tommy guns and damaged cops directing traffic at every corner. As Lehane guides us through a fascinating history lesson bathed in noir, we meet rumrunners and cigar-makers, a string of fascinating women, evangelists, Ku Klux Klansmen, twisted lawmen and gangsters who can be loyal friends one minute, cruel enemies the next.

It’s an exciting, cinematic story, similar in that sense to Lehane’s Mystic River, which gave Clint Eastwood some wonderful movie material, and Shutter Island, which Martin Scorsese turned into a gem. Despite the fact that Joe Coughlin lives on the wrong side of the street, he is a full-fledged star who has what it takes to win our trust and affection. He falls in love not once but twice, gets the bootlegging operation in Tampa up and running, works out a deal with Lucky Luciano in New York, and winds up building a baseball field for kids in pre-Castro Cuba.

Chris Pavone’s first novel The Expats is everything a page-turner should be. Kate Moore’s husband Dexter, a low-key computer geek, has been hired to set up a security system for a bank in the grand duchy of Luxembourg. It’s a high-paying position that would give Kate, Dexter and the boys an excuse to leave dull, old Washington, D.C. and travel and do all the things they’ve always talked about.

It also means that Kate will have to give up her job, and that’s a bit of a problem. Unbeknownst to Dexter and the kids, Kate has spent the last 15 years as a CIA operative. But hold on a minute. Dexter also has a secret life he doesn’t share with most people, including Kate, and it turns out that most of the expats they hang with in Luxembourg aren’t exactly what they seem to be either.

A little contrived, sure, but it works. One reason: Pavone knows the territory, thanks to the fact that his wife took a job in Luxembourg a few years ago, providing the family with a real-time life as expats and giving Pavone the opportunity to travel and soak up the nuances of the Alps, Barcelona, Amsterdam, Paris, and other European locations that play key roles in the book. A second reason: Before he turned to a life of crime writing, Pavone edited cookbooks for a living, and he clearly learned how to blend disparate ingredients into the multilayers needed to make a suspenseful thriller.

The PR campaign for The Expats relies heavily on phrases like “non-stop action,” “espionage thriller” and “layers of deceit,” all of which are on target. We know at the start that Kate’s a CIA operative, but it takes a while before we discover she’s a trained killer who has a mind-blowing secret she’s never shared with anyone. Dexter, whose job takes him all over the Continent, has his own set of mysterious secrets, and what about those FBI agents who seem to be following anything but the straight and narrow?

The Expats is a little over the top at points. It’s filled with time and place changes that demand your attention and developments that require you to suspend belief every now and then, but that’s the price you pay for a grabber of a spy novel that touches all the cloak-and-dagger bases and is exceptionally hard to put down. Ben Affleck may be hard at work on Live By Night, but word is that CBS Films is doing all it can to bring The Expats to the big screen ASAP. Good luck to both.

The Oxford Book of American Short Stories has lots going for it, including Joyce Carol Oates, who contributed to and edited both this edition and the original, which was published in 1992. This time around, Oates says she was “pleased to discover virtually unknown yet fascinating work by certain classic American writers.” That means Ernest Hemingway’s “A Clean, Well-Lighted Place,” which appeared in the first edition, has been replaced by “Hills Like White Elephants,” a lesser-known story, published in 1927, that consists almost entirely of a conversation between a man and a women at a train station in Spain, talking in the lean, staccato-like manner that became Hemingway’s trademark and a style hundreds of others would copy.

Oates also replaced older stories by John Cheever and Pinckney Benedict with newer ones. She totally eliminated the work of 15 other writers, but made up for the deletions with 17 new faces, including Junot Diaz, who was new to me but not to the editors at The New Yorker and the Pulitzer Prize committee. In addition to a great short story called “Edison, New Jersey,” Diaz leaves us with a message that some of us have learned the hard way: “A writer is a writer because even when there is no hope, even when nothing he does shows signs of promise, he keeps writing anyway.”

Designed as a sweeping survey that touches the appropriate literary bases, The Oxford Book of American Short Stories is all that and more. It’s the kind of book you can dip into and out of at will, a fun read that includes short but meaningful background on the authors. It contains 59 stories in all, including contributions from Raymond Carver, Samuel Clemens, Stephen Crane, William Faulkner, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Washington Irving, Bernard Malamud, Herman Melville and Edith Wharton, along with Stephen King, Annie Proulx, Philip Roth, and John Updike.

Cycle Chic contains 368 photographs of people and their bicycles. I ran across it in the bookstore at the New York Botanical Garden, and the fact that it opens with a photo of a lovely young cyclist with long hair, long legs, and a short skirt probably had something to do with its attraction, but that was just for starters.

In addition to young ladies, a large number of the photos — they’re actually snapshots — are of men and boys, kids and toddlers, mothers with babies, couples on two-seater bikes, bikers with dogs in their baskets, and loads of other variations. Most of the photos were taken by Mikael Colville-Andersen, founder of a fashion blog called Copenhagen Cycle Chic, so the bikers tend to be well dressed. Because the pictures come from all parts of the world, the book doubles as a nice travelogue. But the fact that the photos are grouped by theme provides the real take-away: Regardless of where they live and bike, people tend to look and act pretty much alike.

Here’s another bike-themed stocking stuffer: Where To Bike New York City, by J.P. Partland. It’s part of a series of guidebooks designed to help bike riders find the most picturesque ways around various cities throughout the world. The author is a native New Yorker, lives to bike, and knows the best ways to get from here to there on two wheels.

“By the time I got around to writing this book,” Partland says in the introduction, “I had seen both the sunrise and sunset from the saddle while cruising over the Brooklyn Bridge. I had circumnavigated Manhattan, toured the Bronx, made my way through Queens and Long Island, and discovered countless routes around northern New Jersey.”

The book contains a section of basics that spell out the ground rules of safe biking. It goes into equipment, the key things you need to know about bikes and the important things to do before you take off. Most important, it contains maps and detailed instructions for 58 specific trips that uncover “the incredible diversity in architecture, food, people, old stuff, new stuff and arcane stuff that can be found in the city.” The book is a great resource for bikers. It’s an equally valuable tool for the less adventuresome among us who like to do our exploring by foot.

Our Weekly read column features Fortune staffers’ and contributors’ takes on recently published books about the business world and beyond. We’ve invited the entire Fortune family — from our writers and editors to our photo editors and designers — to weigh in on books of their choosing based on their individual tastes or curiosities. Lawrence A. Armour is deputy editor of custom content for Fortune, Time, Money, and Sports Illustrated.

Summary: From new thrillers to New York City bike paths, our literary correspondent has book suggestions for everyone on your shopping list.