More dolphins have beached themselves on the shores of Cape Cod in the past three weeks than typically beach in an entire year, and marine biologists have no idea why. This is the "single largest stranding" of dolphins in the Northeast since at least 1999, according to the International Fund for Animal Welfare, and rescuers anticipate more to come. Interestingly, this is happening just as Congress is poised to cut funding for stranding response teams nationwide. "If scientists do not have the funds to determine the cause of a mass mortality event, there could be a threat to public health without anyone knowing," the IFAW warned Congress last week. Here's an MSNBC news video segment from the dolphin-clogged beaches of Cape Cod: more ›

The Columbia University students' hunger strike to protest Columbia's non-inclusive attitudes about redevelopment and curriculum continues with one less striker. Just after midnight on Sunday, a post went on up on the Columbia Hunger Strike website saying, "This evening, one hunger striker was admitted to St. Luke's hospital. She will not continue the strike for personal medical reasons." The student, Aretha Choi, who attends Barnard, later wrote:...my disappointment increases as I remember the bitter... more ›

Bacaro: Frank DeCarlo of Peasant and his wife Dulcinea Benson transport you to Venice in their 80-seat wine bar/restaurant on the Lower East Side. Northern Italian menu offerings include cicchetti, (think Venetian bar snacks) like crostini, sardines, artichokes, and more, cheeses selected by Lou DiPalo, and pastas, quail, and duck for those seeking heartier fare. 136 Division Street, between Orchard and Ludlow Streets, 212-941-5060. more ›

Not making their way to the greenmarket this week are domestic matsutake, one of the most prized mushrooms in the world. Matsutake have a slight pine flavor and give off a wild, funky cinnamon aroma when cooked. This fragrance is said to do things to people, like instantly transport them to Xanadu or make choruses of ladybugs hail from the sky in intense, Busby Berkeley style formations. Hand foraged and scarce, matsutake are in fact like truffles, with whom they share a peak season and some frequent flyer miles: Just as a good number of Italian truffles are gussied up and shipped off the New York market each fall, most Pacific Northwest matsutake are flown overnight to Japan after collection, where the best ones are so expensive it’s not even funny. For the time being, and at least on the East Coast, matsutake are most likely to be found in restaurants. more ›

Quick July review: Cool. The average temperature was 75 degrees, a degree-and-a-half below normal and our coolest July since 2004. Wet. 6.89 inches of rain fell, our wettest July since 2004. more ›

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Kind of an odd weather situation the next few days. See that storm centered well east of Cape Cod on the satellite image? Normally we wouldn't concern ourselves with such a system because it would be moving toward Greenland or Iceland, but this storm has decided to act like a guest who has overstayed their welcome. The storm is going to back up toward us a bit. It's not much of a storm, the white on this water vapor image shows moisture, not necessarily clouds, but as the spokes of moisture circulate around the center of low pressure we'll see intermittent bouts of clouds, showers, and perhaps a thunderstorm for the next couple of days. more ›

American counterculture and literary idol, Kurt Vonnegut, died yesterday at the age of 84. He was in Manhattan, and his death was the result of brain injuries from a fall several weeks ago. more ›

+ City air unsafe for mosquitoes, asthmatics as the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene continues its shock and awe bombardment of the West Nile carrying buggers. Helicopters will be spraying parts of the Bronx, Queens, and Staten Island with pesticide through Friday morning. Only one person has been infected with the disease this year compared with 14 last year. more ›

Now that our mini-heat wave is over, tropical storm Beryl is making her presence felt. Sort of. Places along the shore from Brooklyn to Montauk may see some showers, possibly with intense rain, starting this morning. Beryl is forecast to skirt eastern Long Island before hitting Rhode Island and Cape Cod. Rain is forecast through tonight due to Beryl and through the weekend as the storm sucks Atlantic moisture, tomorrow and Saturday will be unpleasantly humid, northward ahead of a cold front. more ›

If Caroline Kennedy moves to Park Slope, what does that do to the neighborhood? Do you think she'd join the Food Co-Op? Here's the Corcoran guide to Park Slope (a Corcoran broker called "Prospect Park West" Brooklyn's "Central Park West"). NY Magazine's Park Slope profile. more ›

Get your ass out from behind your desk and go down to the Mermaid Inn and get some food. I'm serious- I've eaten in a lot of places in this town and I haven't had a meal this good in four or five months. The restaurant is amazing- Cape Cod atmosphere- unpretentious feel- food that will knock the jadedness right out of your mouth. Gothamist's recommendations? We started with a selection of the appetizers: fried oysters, spinach and crab dip, clam fritters, artic char tartare. The clam fritters were the clear winner- doughy, warm, satisfying. For mains, we went with the salmon, scallops, Atlantic cod, and the seafood plateau. I ate that last one all by myself- the oysters and clams were top-notch, and the shrimp cocktail was amazing. And Gothamist is sort of a connoisseur of shrimp cocktail. All along the wait staff was great- funny, quick, laid back. more ›