David Simon on the birth of "The Wire"

From the same Boston Phoenix blog, or "phlog," this tidbit from Kafka's letters, about housebreaking his cat:


“How hard it is to arrive at an understanding with an animal on this question. There seem to be only misunderstandings, for the cat knows, through blows and other explanation, that there is something undesirable about taking care of her needs of nature, and that the place for it has to be carefully chosen. So what does she do? Well, for example she chooses a spot that is dark, that will in addition show me her affection...But from the human side this spot happens to be inside my bedroom slipper.”

They have to debate this?

It's about time!
Oh, yeah! "The Wire" haiku!

I offer:

Omar and Avon,
Kima, Lester, all are gone.
Sunday night's a blank

Dirty carpeting and outdated computers

In her Annie Seymour mysteries, Karen E. Olson gets the world of contemporary newspapers right. (Though she is gentler than the brilliant "The Wire.") Guess that's why it was such a pleasure to read this piece about her in the Connecticut Post.

Oh, and speaking of crime fiction in journalism settings, here's my review of the new Denise Mina, "Slip of the Knife," from the Boston Globe.