State of the Nation

In the 3rd week of November, the NBC/WSJ poll found that 65% of us think the country is on the wrong track while 25% of us think the country is on the right track. The official BLS unemployment rate for...

The 2014 election: A little more

The Winston Group recently made the following point. Of the 48% who rated the economy as “not so good” in 2014, 58% voted Republican and 41% voted Democrat, a spread of 17 points in favor of the Republicans. In 2012,...

President Obama

The public’s grade on President Obama’s job approval (as found by Gallup 12/6) is 43% approval/51% disapproval. The NBC/WSJ survey found the President’s job approval at 44%, up a smidgen from a year earlier. Americans’ approval of how Obama is...

Congress

53% of us want the Republicans in Congress, rather than President Obama, to have the most influence over the direction of the nation in the next year. Early in 2012 Obama was chosen by a margin of 46% to 42%....

Looking Ahead to 2016: Contest for President

This is the current list of potential contenders. Inclusion on this list requires very little connection to an actual intention to run for President. For example, if someone suggests publicly that you should or might be a candidate and you...

This and That

In the last decade the number of Americans who would like to lose weight has been as high as 62% (2005) to the current low of 51%. The number of people who are seriously trying to lose weight during that...

Do you need a Numi?

As regular readers of the Watch know, most of the Watch’s restaurant reviews include comments about the restroom. This fixation on the quality of the restrooms led Debbie to suggest that she wanted to buy a Numi for me. The...

Restaurant: Giovanni Ristorante

Beechwood, Ohio: The restaurant is interesting for a number of reasons besides the food. Most of the guests appeared to be regulars. And, there was a whole lot of kissing going on between the manger and serving people and the guests, particularly those seated at the bar.

Restaurant: Shanghai Lounge

Washington, DC: This is a very small, two-story restaurant. On the main floor there is a kitchen at the back of the restaurant. Just forward of that important feature is a small bar with five high stools.