State of the Nation

20.1% of children under the age of 18 in the United States were living in poverty in 2009 (14,807,000). That percentage grew from 18.5% of children who were so afflicted in 2008. Even more troubling is the fact that in...

The President

If one steps back and thinks about what has been accomplished during the first 21 months of the Obama administration, the list is quite impressive: Healthcare Reform Increased regulation of banks and financial institutions The largest economic stimulus package in...

The Congress: Is the 2010 Congressional election effectively over?

The die is cast and, with a few exceptions, many, if not most, competitive races in the Senate and House are decided. There is a flood, and it seems to be rolling over the Democrats. Only if there is a...

Other Elections: Governors

Ordinarily WW does not follow governors’ races. However, with reapportionment on the table in 2011-12, control of governors’ offices is particularly important. Here is a summary of the current status of the 37 gubernatorial races to be decided in November,...

This and That

The words “race car” spelled backwards spell “race car.” The word “eat” is the only word that, if you take the first letter and move it to the last, spells the past tense, “ate.” On June 27, 1967, there was...

Restaurant: MAS (farmhouse)

New York, NY: One of the interesting options of the restaurant is to allow its patrons to order half portions of two entrees.

Restaurant: Vanilla Bean Cafe

Two Harbors, Minnesota The cafe is famous for its oven-baked omelets. The omelets are round, baked in metal pans, and are about 8 inches across and about an inch high. I have never seen nor eaten anything like it except, perhaps, for a deep dish pizza. Of the hundreds (thousands?) of omelets I have eaten nothing comes close.

Restaurant: SIROC

Washington, D.C. The restaurant is bright and cheery (quite a change from the previous restaurant in that location) and has been open from something over a year.

Cutting a Bagel

Since I ate my first bagel, slicing it in half has been a pretty routine act. I slice it laterally through the middle and do my best to avoid slicing the hand that is holding the bagel. Recently I acquired...