Sicily.
See also 2001.06.29.

Congratulations to Eliot and Kdunk, a dynamic duo if there ever was one.

In other good news, Bill Werde's family had a miraculous reunion.

Giuseppe "Pepe" Cappuccio at the Cappuccio Brothers fish store, Siracusa, Sicily.
If you stop in, tell him I said hello.

Palermo, Sicily.

Palermo, Sicily.
The Antica Focacceria S. Francesco serves the world's best lung-and-spleen sandwich.

Palermo, Sicily.
The city was heavily bombed in World War II. It's still cleaning up.

Lipari, Aeolian Islands, Sicily.

Something I wrote for today's NYT: Warner's Tryst With Bloggers Hits Sour Note. The story was inspired by a mention of Warner Brothers Records' recent pitches to MP3 bloggers in a roundtable discussion with the bloggers on The Morning News. The story talks about this post on Music for Robots where one or more people at Warner Brothers apparently left comments without disclosing their affiliation with the company. Related links:

-- Dallas Observer on the Secret Machines and the secret machinery behind the promotion of their album
-- IMedia Connection interview with Robin Bechtel, head of new media at Warner Brothers Records
-- Berkman Center audio segment on MP3 bloggers
-- Billboard on blogs, music, buzz

Stromboli, Aeolian Islands, Sicily.

Hike to Zucco Grande, Filicudi, Aeolian Islands, Sicily.
You can buy a house in this abandoned village on one of the most out-of-the-way islands in Italy. More than a mile from the nearest road, no utilities, no neighbors. But hey, the views! And it looks like there's a roof. $36,000.

A few site notes:

-- Photos I took of some collapsing piers in the Hudson River, seen here on 2002.06.10 and 09, served as raw material for a "Zippy the Pinhead" strip that ran back in March. Bill Griffith, creator of the legendary Zippy, was kind enough to credit me in the strip, but failed to follow instructions and ask first. When I e-mailed him he apologized and sent me a nice big print of the strip, so everyone's happy. Thanks to Cyndy Buckhaults of the Rail-Marine Information Group ("people from around the world with a common interest in the history of the transportation of railroad equipment across water") for the heads-up.

-- I've learned that the Renault factory that's being torn down inspired a setting in "Code Lyoko," a manga-esque French-American production now airing on Cartoon Network. The show's fans are upset with the demolition and have filled up the comments with confused rants: "I think it's an insult to the TV show this factory was based on."

-- I added some entertaining reader mail to the entry on Deyrolle (which, sadly, was less cluttered and therefore less fun when I visited it again last month), and had to make some changes to the one on Paris H*lt*n.