Good Thursday morning. I’ve got the day of the week thing down now – just in time to start counting down to the weekend.
Perhaps your weekend plans might include the consumption of something fast, easy, delicious, and comfort-inducing – something like pizza. Easy to find and hard to render truly inedible, pizza is the most frequently ordered fast food in America.
Great pizza, which is, of course, a largely subjective matter, depending on how you like your crust, the sweetness of your sauce, your cheese-to-topping ratio, even your cheese placement (over or under the sauce, with or without sauce altogether), might be hard to come by. But in a pinch, I feel like some passable version is always fairly readily available, even if it is something that coagulated under a heat lamp for an unquestionable number of hours.
Imagine my surprise then, when I discovered that the U.S. is NOT in fact the world’s No. 1 consumer of pizza. No, that title goes to Norway, where per capita consumption is estimated at about 11 pies annually, leading some to joke that pizza is the Scandinavian country’s unofficial national dish.
Though initially this seems incongruous. Norway, with it’s official national dish of lutefisk – dried whitefish that’s soaked in lye, then rinsed, baked, and served with butter, salt, and pepper – is about as far away from Italy, cuisine-wise, as one can get in my mind. However, when you stop and consider another popular Norwegian dish, the open-faced sandwich or flatbread, then things start to make a lot more sense.
Putting toppings on bread tranches or slices dates back centuries and was a regular practice in many cultures. But the food we associate with modern-day pizza, made with tomatoes, mozzarella, and fresh basil (AKA the Margherita), originated in Naples, Italy.
Italian immigrants brought the cheap, delicious, and easy-to-make food with them when they settled in America and the rest, as they say, is history.
Plain cheese pizza is the most popular pizza worldwide, with some 5 billion pies consumed annually, about 3 billion of which occurs in the 50 states, some some accounts. The biggest seller of said pies? Dominos.
Most pizza lovers, regardless of their location around the globe, are big on pepperoni. But when it comes to the “which style is better” debate, traditions and loyalties are hard to break. Deep dish (AKAChicago). Neapolitan. New York. Sicilian. Greek. California. Novelty (pizza pockets, pizza bites, pizza on a stick, etc.) Then there’s vegan, cauliflower crust, chicken crust, etc. and so forth.
Today, we’re keeping it simple and paying tribute to the basic cheese pie. A clean, blank canvas that is a culinary masterpiece in its marrying of just a few simple, yet strong, flavors. It’s something I think we can all get behind.
Happy National Cheese Pizza Day. There are some deals to be had in celebration of this day – mostly at chain restaurants, as far as I could tell. But hey, deals are deals, especially with food prices what they are. However, it turns out that the days of the iconic NYC $1 slice are NOT completely over after all. Sometimes the city delivers.
We’ve been blessed with a stretch of incredible late summer/early fall weather (remember, the Autumn Equinox isn’t until Sept. 22). Today will be a continuation of that trend, with clear, sunny skies and temperatures flirting with 80 degrees. Sadly, the weekend isn’t shaping up to be so fabulous. But we’ll cross that bridge when we come to it.
I was curious, but it’s too early to call this an Indian Summer, because that refers to a spate of unusually warm and dry weather that occurs in late October/early November. Apparently, I’m no longer supposed to be using that phrase – it seems the term “Second Summer” is preferable? – because it is viewed as offensive and disrespectful to Native people.
In the headlines…
A 14-year-old student, Colt Gray, opened fire at his Georgia high school yesterday, killing two students and two teachers before surrendering to school resource officers, according to the authorities, who said the suspect would be charged with murder.
Gray was questioned by law enforcement in 2023 regarding “several anonymous tips about online threats to commit a school shooting at an unidentified location and time,” a joint statement from FBI Atlanta and the Jackson County Sheriff’s Office said.
The sheriff’s office interviewed the then-13-year-old and his father, who said there were hunting guns in the house but the teen did not have unsupervised access to them. The teen also denied making any online threats.
Authorities still are investigating how Gray brought into the school the “AR-platform style weapon” that was used in the shooting, Georgia Bureau of Investigation Director Chris Hosey said in a news conference.
Two students and two teachers were killed, Hosey said. The GBI identified the four victims as Mason Schermerhorn, 14, Christian Angulo, 14, Richard Aspinwall, 39, and Christina Irimie, 53.
Nine other people – eight students and one teacher – were taken to hospitals with injuries that do not appear to be life-threatening, authorities said at a late-night briefing.
The shooting has shaken residents in Winder, which has about 18,000 residents and is roughly 50 miles northeast of downtown Atlanta.
President Joe Biden issued a statement following the shooting, saying in part: “Students across the country are learning how to duck and cover instead of how to read and write. We cannot continue to accept this as normal.”
Vice President Kamala Harris lamented the “senseless” Georgia school shooting that claimed at least four lives — because “it doesn’t have to be this way.”
The vice president proposed an increase on the capital gains tax that was far less than what Biden has floated, one of several moves meant to win over business owners.
Describing small businesses as “an essential foundation to our entire economy,” Harris wants to expand from $5,000 to $50,000 tax incentives for startup expenses, with the goal of eventually spurring 25 million new small business applications over four years.
Former Rep. Liz Cheney, the once high-ranking Republican from Wyoming who torpedoed her political career by breaking forcefully with former President Donald Trump, said she would be voting for Harris in November.
“I don’t believe that we have the luxury of writing in candidates’ names, particularly in swing states,” Cheney said, adding that she will be supporting Harris because of the “danger Trump poses.”
Former independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said that he plans to do swing state rallies with Trump, continuing his presence on the campaign trail to ensure the GOP nominee gets back into the White House.
Trump and Harris have agreed to the rules set by ABC News for their first debate next week, the network announced.
When it comes to sentencing in the former president’s hush money trial, Justice Juan M. Merchan has tried to treat Trump like the hundreds of other defendants whose fates he has decided. But his decision could alter American history.
Trump’s youngest child, Barron, was spotted arriving at NYU to kick off his first day of college life. The towering 18-year-old was flanked by Secret Service agents as he stepped onto the campus with a black Swiss Gear backpack casually slung over his shoulder.
“He’s a very smart guy, and he’ll be going to Stern, the business school, which is a great school at NYU,” the former president told the U.K.’s Daily Mail, adding that Barron was accepted into “a lot of colleges.”
The university declined to confirm the younger Trump’s enrollment, but The New York Post published photos of Barron Trump arriving on campus, flanked by Secret Service agents, a backpack over his shoulder.
The United States announced a broad effort to push back on Russian influence campaigns in the 2024 election, as it tries to curb the Kremlin’s use of state-run media and fake news sites to sway American voters.
The sweeping set of actions unveiled by the Biden campaign includes criminal charges against two Russian nationals, sanctions on 10 individuals and entities, and the seizure of 32 internet domains.
Three prominent podcasters have insisted they had no knowledge a US network hosting their content allegedly received nearly $10 million from Russian state media employees seeking to influence the 2024 presidential election.
Gov. Kathy Hochul provided an update on the indictment of her former aide Linda Sun for allegedly acting as an unregistered foreign agent for the Chinese government, suggesting the U.S. should respond to the incident by expelling a top Chinese diplomat.
The departure of Consul General Huang Ping under murky circumstances came as sources said suspicions about Sun arose after she bestowed a state honor on the diplomat without authority while posing with him for an incriminating photograph.
U.S. State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said Ping left his post in August and wasn’t removed or expelled as Hochul had insinuated. The Chinese Consulate’s New York press office, however, claimed that Ping remains on the job.
Before her dismissal by Hochul, even as questions were repeatedly raised, Sun allegedly continued to use her positions in state government to benefit the People’s Republic of China and its Communist Party in exchange for millions of dollars in benefits.
The misdemeanor charge against an assistant state attorney general was adjourned in contemplation of dismissal earlier this year, shortly after she was arraigned on the charge in April.
Mayor Adams’ administration spent $222,000 this summer to procure 14 so-called “throw bots” for the NYPD, adding to the department’s increasing use of robotic technology in law enforcement.
Adams has opened six new school buildings in Queens ahead of the 2024-25 school year as part of a city-wide initiative to provide students with state-of-the-art learning facilities across the city.
New York City public schools will utilize a new Black Studies curriculum this fall, spanning pre-kindergarten through 12th grade.
The coursework was created by Columbia University Teachers College’s Black Education Research Center. The curriculum was funded by the New York City Council, known as the Education Equity Action Plan (EEAP).
In an interview, New York City Schools Chancellor David C. Banks said migrants had been a “godsend” for schools that were bleeding students. He also promised a big new role for artificial intelligence.
A New York City parent activist booted from her education post after calling out “Jew hatred” should be reinstated, a federal judge ruled — finding Chancellor Banks likely violated her free speech rights by ousting her.
Nearly a year after Adams first rolled out the Knightscope K5, a 400-pound police robot, in the Times Square subway station, his office revealed that his administration still has not found a use for the technology he once touted as a powerful crime-fighting tool.
Adams won’t say if five correction officers id’ed by Gothamist should be placed on leave while the city reviews allegations of sexual abuse leveled against them by former inmates at Rikers, despite a growing number of public officials urging more robust action.
Staten Island Republican Rep. Nicole Malliotakis is accusing the NYPD and Adams of “stonewalling” her request for data on crimes committed by migrants in or around taxpayer-funded shelters.
The city DOT wheeled out a proposal to expand the Manhattan-side entryway to the bridge’s bike path — a project that would be contingent on scrapping a car lane and relocating several parking spots reserved for journalists working at City Hall.
A Bronx middle school teacher was shot when a bullet flew through his classroom window yesterday morning while he was preparing for the beginning of the upcoming school year, according to NYPD officials.
Water flooded the Queens-Midtown tunnel shortly after noon yesterday after a drilling crew punched a 2.5-inch wide hole through the top of the tunnel, shutting down both tubes for hours and snarling traffic across NYC.
Workers were doing “investigative work related to the design of the upcoming UN esplanade project” when they punctured a hole in the edge of the tunnel, Josh Kraus of the New York City Economic Development Corporation said at a press conference.
Riders on the 42nd Street Shuttle can finally take a phone call or doom scroll on social media thanks to a new cell network installed on the line, MTA officials announced.
Dozens of new buildings are going up along the famously polluted Gowanus Canal. The discovery of an underground chemical plume hasn’t slowed the development.
The Rent Stabilization Association and the Community Housing Improvement Program, which represent owners of rent-stabilized buildings in New York City, have officially merged to create the New York Apartment Association.
A federal judge this week temporarily reinstated a Manhattan education councilmember who was removed by the city for making offensive comments about a student.
The board of the Albany County Airport Authority voted yesterday morning to fire CEO Philip F. Calderone less than a month after it informed him his contract would not be renewed when it expires in December.
The board’s decision came as Calderone has been hospitalized at St. Peter’s in Albany for several days for symptoms that apparently are associated with severe stress.
Peter Stuto, former Authority General Counsel, will serve as Acting CEO while the Board conducts a national search for Calderone’s replacement. John O’Donnell, former airport CEO will serve as COO and oversee all construction projects.
The Albany Firebirds, as well as a number of their rivals from the 2024 Arena Football League season, posted on social media yesterday that “a new era begins today.” Their 2025 season won’t take place in the AFL.
Indian Ladder Farms has been in Laura Ten Eyck’s family for four generations. Ten Eyck says this year is the biggest harvest she’s seen in decades.
The Albany-based restaurant group BMT Hospitality is developing new locations of its brands Junior’s Bar & Grill and Cafe Madison in a newer multiuse complex on Routes 9 and 20, with an eye toward opening in late spring and early summer 2025.
Bills safety Damar Hamlin will start in Buffalo’s season opener against the Arizona Cardinals at home Sunday – his first start since he collapsed and went into cardiac arrest on the field during a game against the Cincinnati Bengals in January 2023.
Photo credit: George Fazio.
