State Of The Nation

Americans are increasingly pessimistic about the state of the country. Only 24% think the country is headed in the right direction while 68% think it is off on the wrong track.(average of surveys below). In mid-January only 61% of those...

Bush Not Moving Up

The President's approval rating continues to sag. The 28% approval rating that Bush received in the May Newsweek poll was the lowest it has recorded for any President since Jimmy Carter in 1979. Approve Disapprove AP-Ipsos 5/9 35 61 CNN...

2008 Presidential Election

2008 marks the 55th quadrennial election for President and Vice President of the United States. Americans will elect the 44th President and 47th Vice President. This will be the 1st election since 1928 when there is no incumbent President seeking...

Presidential Height, Weight and BMI

On January 31st, your editor appeared on the Paula Zahn show in a segment that addressed the question of whether a fat person could be elected President of the United States. I took the position that a really fat person...

2008 Congressional Elections

During 2006, the average Congressional job approval rating in the NBC/WSJ surveys was 24% approval and 63% disapproval. In its final survey before the election, job disapproval of the Congress reached 75%. For the 1st 3.5 months under the new...

This and That

Would you stay on the 13th floor of a hotel? 13% of us would be bothered if we were assigned a room on the 13th floor, and 9% of us would ask for a room on a different floor. Women...

Restaurant: Quince

San Francisco, California: If this is not the single best restaurant at which we have ever eaten, it is certainly in the top 2 or 3.

Restaurant: Boulevard

San Francisco, California: The restaurant is long from front to back; in fact, a block long. There is a bar along the wall from the front to about a third of the way back

Restaurant: Chez Panisse

Berkeley, California: On the main floor, there is a dining room that on any given day serves only a single meal for dinner. If that meal is not to your liking there are no alternatives.

Restaurant: Corduroy

Washington, D.C.: When you arrive at 12th and K and don't immediately see the restaurant, don't give up. The restaurant is located on the 2nd floor of the Four Points Hotel.

Restaurant: PS7

Washington, D.C.: The PS is from the name of the chef/owner Peter Smith and the 7 comes from the 777 address.