May 17, 2004 and the Decade that followed

It was May 17, 2004, in Cambridge, Massachusetts, a Monday like many other Mondays, except for one thing.

State of the Nation

The NBC/WSJ found that 59% of Americans believe that things are off on the wrong track in this country. This is within a point or two of where Americans have been since January 2012. [2/13] 77% are dissatisfied with the...

President Obama

The public’s grade for the job President Obama is doing (as found by Gallup) is 47%/45%. This is better than only one of the 5 previous two-term Presidents at this point in their second term. The list of 6 follows:...

The Congress

80% disapprove of the job that the Congress is doing. This is only slightly lower than the all-time high disapproval of Congress recorded in January 2012, when disapproval hit a high 84%. [WP/ABC 3/13] This level of disapproval is confirmed...

Restaurant: Bistro Le Zinc

Washington, DC: On our first visit many months ago, things were a little ragged, so I did not write about it. But the second and third visits were quite good, so it seems time to share our experience.

Restaurant: Unum

Washington, DC: I had dinner at Unum twice over three days. Happily, the second visit was a repeat of a very enjoyable first visit.

Restaurant: Quince

San Francisco: While the new location is somewhat fancier than the previous location, it remains a perfect dining situation.

Restaurant: Cotogna

San Francisco: This restaurant is literally next door to Quince. Cotogna is much more casual and is described as an Italian trattoria.

Restaurant: Kokkari

San Francisco: You enter this restaurant at a far corner of a large dining room that turns out to be one of two large dining rooms. The restaurant has a variety of private rooms that can become part of the main restaurant.

Restaurant: Cliff House

San Francisco: Cliff House has several observation areas and it is worth checking out each of them. On this particular day there were no seals in evidence, but an endless number of birds were hanging out on the various islands.