Wednesday Links, Part II; Nothing About the Bakken

So, last night, I got on my bike in slightly drizzly weather and rode the four miles (more or less) to the Upper Crust Pizza restaurant near Harvard Square, Cambridge. The more I rode, the more it rained. The weather forecast suggested that the drizzle was going to lessen. Wrong. But I knew that after an hour or so at the Upper Crust the weather was likely to improve. And then, on the door a handwritten sign: "Closed." Looking inside, suggested it had abruptly closed in the last thirty minutes or so. One lone soul, in the dark, was still on his laptop. So, I rode home in weather that had only gotten worse. A very nice invigorating ride. Reminded me of my halcyon days in Yorkshire.

So, this morning, I read that the Upper Crust abruptly closed the rest of the restaurants it had not closed earlier due to bankruptcy proceedings. There are still a handful open, but for me it appears the Upper Crust is closed. I'm sure it will be back. Changes? I hope not.

Bankrupt and controversy-laden pizza chain The Upper Crust has suddenly closed "most of its restaurants" and said goodbye to 140 employees, says the Globe. The closed locations will stay closed unless they "can get a cash infusion in the next few days." Of sixteen locations throughout New England and in D.C., eleven are now closed. The end of the chain has long seemed apparent, but this latest development happened all at once and could spell a finishing blow to the company. Earlier today, a general manager for the Brookline location said that nothing was out of the ordinary, which is true in a sense, since drama has become the norm for The Upper Crust.

Very, very, very sad. Especially for the employees who I had gotten to know quite well. 

On another note, I see woman #3 has claimed diplomatic immunity. (Yes, there are two different links in that short sentence.)

If you were to diagram the increasingly tangled sex scandal involving former CIA Director David Petraeus, nearly all lines would lead back to one person - Jill Kelley, a 37-year-old Tampa socialite who hosted parties for the nation's top military brass.

Kelley's complaint about anonymous, threatening email triggered the FBI investigation that led to Petraeus' downfall. And now she is at the center of an investigation of the top U.S. commander in Afghanistan over alleged 'inappropriate communications' between the two.

Together with her identical twin sister Natalie Khawam, the two women have become key players in the growing controversy gripping Washington, rising from their humble beginnings in Pennsylvania as the daughters of Lebanese immigrants to vital players in a scandal which could have far-reaching effects for the United States' national security.

The headline: The incredible social climbing of a woman who went from humble beginnings to 'honorary consul' for South Korea...and she even thinks she gets diplomatic immunity.

I see a huge movie deal coming. Her surgeon husband must be loving this.