There's only one way to watch Clinton and Obama debate, and that is with drinks readily available. I have heard of gatherings at Sully's and Arnold's, both at 8:30.
If you're the one perspicacious voter in OH-2 who thinks the Presidency is overrated and Congress is underrated, you can choose Victoria Wulsin's party/fundraiser at the Blue Wisp instead (details).
And if you want to watch a debate, but with somebody besides Clinton and Obama, you can watch the Wulsin-Black debate on CET at 7:00.
26 February 2008
21 February 2008
Cincinnati Political Contributions to Presidential Candidates
To whom have Cincinnatians been giving their money? Below are contributions from the metro Cincinnati area to the Presidential candidates. The data was collected from OpenSecrets.org. The search was done for zip codes within city limits (so Indian Hill, Loveland, etc. are not included). I have separated the data by east and west sides (I thought it might be interesting), using I-75 as the dividing line. Some of the zip codes didn't go through, so the data may not be comprehensive.
EAST SIDE
ROMNEY 420,000
GIULIANI 74,950
McCAIN 10,850
HUCKABEE 5,300
PAUL 3,100
BROWNBACK 2,300
RNC 138,070
CLINTON 144,500
OBAMA 102,750
RICHARDSON 16,100
DNC 3,550
WEST SIDE
ROMNEY 21,900
PAUL 3,101
HUCKABEE 2,800
McCAIN 2,700
GIULIANI 2,550
THOMPSON 2,400
RNC 5,750
OBAMA 8,106
CLINTON 5,750
RICHARDSON 4,600
KUCINICH 300
DNC 200
Total given: 981,627 (94% from east side)
Total to Republicans: 695,771 (71%)
Total to Democrats: 285,856
Total to Romney: 441,900 (80% of direct contributions to R candidates)
Total to McCain: 13,550 (2.5%)
Total to Clinton: 150,250 (53% of direct contributions to D candidates)
Total to Obama: 110,856 (39%)
EAST SIDE
ROMNEY 420,000
GIULIANI 74,950
McCAIN 10,850
HUCKABEE 5,300
PAUL 3,100
BROWNBACK 2,300
RNC 138,070
CLINTON 144,500
OBAMA 102,750
RICHARDSON 16,100
DNC 3,550
WEST SIDE
ROMNEY 21,900
PAUL 3,101
HUCKABEE 2,800
McCAIN 2,700
GIULIANI 2,550
THOMPSON 2,400
RNC 5,750
OBAMA 8,106
CLINTON 5,750
RICHARDSON 4,600
KUCINICH 300
DNC 200
Total given: 981,627 (94% from east side)
Total to Republicans: 695,771 (71%)
Total to Democrats: 285,856
Total to Romney: 441,900 (80% of direct contributions to R candidates)
Total to McCain: 13,550 (2.5%)
Total to Clinton: 150,250 (53% of direct contributions to D candidates)
Total to Obama: 110,856 (39%)
Use a Cell Phone, Lose Some Sperm
Can you fertilize me now?
A recent Cleveland Clinic study compared the sperm quality of subjects (men, mostly) with their cell phone usage.
Mean sperm motility, viability, and normal morphology were significantly different in cell phone user groups within two sperm count groups. The laboratory values of the above four sperm parameters decreased in all four cell phone user groups as the duration of daily exposure to cell phones increased.
The researchers concluded that cell phone usage decreases sperm count.
It is a highly questionable conclusion (at least based on the abstract). For one thing, there is no causative data to connect the dots. For another, there are too many other lifestyle variables that could be influencing the subjects’ physiology. It is possible that sperm count is decreased because of lifestyle, and cell phone usage is merely a component of that lifestyle.
This research might be the rogue spermatozoan that slipped through the zona pellucida of peer review. Premature conjecturation, if you will.
The study would be more convincing if the subjects’ phone usage was altered (increased or decreased, as applicable) and any corresponding sperm changes were noted. This would have provided the data and one variable to correlate it with.
So don’t put away your phone just yet. But if you're this woman, I guess it wouldn't hurt to buy some more minutes.
A recent Cleveland Clinic study compared the sperm quality of subjects (men, mostly) with their cell phone usage.
Mean sperm motility, viability, and normal morphology were significantly different in cell phone user groups within two sperm count groups. The laboratory values of the above four sperm parameters decreased in all four cell phone user groups as the duration of daily exposure to cell phones increased.
The researchers concluded that cell phone usage decreases sperm count.
It is a highly questionable conclusion (at least based on the abstract). For one thing, there is no causative data to connect the dots. For another, there are too many other lifestyle variables that could be influencing the subjects’ physiology. It is possible that sperm count is decreased because of lifestyle, and cell phone usage is merely a component of that lifestyle.
This research might be the rogue spermatozoan that slipped through the zona pellucida of peer review. Premature conjecturation, if you will.
The study would be more convincing if the subjects’ phone usage was altered (increased or decreased, as applicable) and any corresponding sperm changes were noted. This would have provided the data and one variable to correlate it with.
So don’t put away your phone just yet. But if you're this woman, I guess it wouldn't hurt to buy some more minutes.
20 February 2008
Burger Review: Slatts Pub (Blue Ash)
Yesterday evening I went to Slatts Pub in Blue Ash. It is on Cooper Road, one block east of the Cooper-Kenwood intersection. We were in the mood for burgers and decided to try it.
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Slatt's burgers: **1/2 (out of 4)
FULL REPORT
The service was good but perfunctory. People sure get jaded quickly in the food biz.
They don't have an array of specialty burgers. You can choose from a regular burger, black & bleu, bacon cheeseburger, or a "philly" burger (I forgot to ask). They also have a black bean veggie burger. We got the black & bleu and the bacon cheeseburger.
The burgers were good, but nothing special. They were cooked to order and the toppings (shredded lettuce & red onion) were fresh. The bleu cheese was decent but fell short on pungency. The cheddar was good, but I think a thicker slice would have helped. The bun was good, but nothing special. The fries were very good. The meal also came with biscuits and whipped butter which were good (but that's a lot of starch to put away in one sitting).
If you're in the area and jonesing for a burger, you'll be satisfied with Slatts. But it won't be one of the best you've had.
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Slatt's burgers: **1/2 (out of 4)
FULL REPORT
The service was good but perfunctory. People sure get jaded quickly in the food biz.
They don't have an array of specialty burgers. You can choose from a regular burger, black & bleu, bacon cheeseburger, or a "philly" burger (I forgot to ask). They also have a black bean veggie burger. We got the black & bleu and the bacon cheeseburger.
The burgers were good, but nothing special. They were cooked to order and the toppings (shredded lettuce & red onion) were fresh. The bleu cheese was decent but fell short on pungency. The cheddar was good, but I think a thicker slice would have helped. The bun was good, but nothing special. The fries were very good. The meal also came with biscuits and whipped butter which were good (but that's a lot of starch to put away in one sitting).
If you're in the area and jonesing for a burger, you'll be satisfied with Slatts. But it won't be one of the best you've had.
WaPo Editor Gives Inside Scoop on Iraq to UD Audience
More ridiculous examples of the Bush boondoggle:
The impressive zeal of Ambassador Paul Bremmer, the first American viceroy in Iraq, to help the Iraqi people made Chandrasekaran a believer. But Bremmer’s plan to occupy Iraq was faulty, and Chandrasekaran soon recognized why.
“One would think the White House would send the most qualified people to Iraq,” Chandrasekaran said. “But in many cases they sent the loyal and the willing.”
This is one of the main reasons American occupation of Iraq went wrong, according to Chandrasekaran. Instead of sending those fluent in Arabic or those with experience in the necessary fields, the White House leaned towards hiring conservatives.
Chandrasekaran heard multiple accounts from applicants seeking work in the American-occupied zone in Iraq, considered the “Green Zone,” in which they were questioned not on merit, but on political party affiliation. People were asked their political party, whether they voted for Bush in 2000, and in some cases, their views on capital punishment or abortion, he said.
...a 24-year-old with only an internship was sent to Baghdad to open a stock exchange. A physician helping Iraq’s medical field with a Ph.D. and a “wall of credentials” was replaced by a 60-year-old social worker. In Iraq, where the hospitals resemble the “fifth circle of Hell,” this social worker put an anti-smoking campaign at the top of his to-do list.
...they weren’t in touch with the reality of Iraq’s problems. For example, in a country like Iraq, where unemployment is between 40 and 50 percent, the logical solution would be creating more jobs. The Americans instead, in their air-conditioned Green Zone offices, decided to rewrite Iraq’s tax code.
When Americans noticed the traffic laws in Baghdad needed reform, they handed the job to a personal injury attorney from Maryland. He was not educated in traffic laws, so instead he went on the Internet, downloaded Maryland’s traffic code and translated it to Arabic. Iraq never fully put it into effect.
The impressive zeal of Ambassador Paul Bremmer, the first American viceroy in Iraq, to help the Iraqi people made Chandrasekaran a believer. But Bremmer’s plan to occupy Iraq was faulty, and Chandrasekaran soon recognized why.
“One would think the White House would send the most qualified people to Iraq,” Chandrasekaran said. “But in many cases they sent the loyal and the willing.”
This is one of the main reasons American occupation of Iraq went wrong, according to Chandrasekaran. Instead of sending those fluent in Arabic or those with experience in the necessary fields, the White House leaned towards hiring conservatives.
Chandrasekaran heard multiple accounts from applicants seeking work in the American-occupied zone in Iraq, considered the “Green Zone,” in which they were questioned not on merit, but on political party affiliation. People were asked their political party, whether they voted for Bush in 2000, and in some cases, their views on capital punishment or abortion, he said.
...a 24-year-old with only an internship was sent to Baghdad to open a stock exchange. A physician helping Iraq’s medical field with a Ph.D. and a “wall of credentials” was replaced by a 60-year-old social worker. In Iraq, where the hospitals resemble the “fifth circle of Hell,” this social worker put an anti-smoking campaign at the top of his to-do list.
...they weren’t in touch with the reality of Iraq’s problems. For example, in a country like Iraq, where unemployment is between 40 and 50 percent, the logical solution would be creating more jobs. The Americans instead, in their air-conditioned Green Zone offices, decided to rewrite Iraq’s tax code.
When Americans noticed the traffic laws in Baghdad needed reform, they handed the job to a personal injury attorney from Maryland. He was not educated in traffic laws, so instead he went on the Internet, downloaded Maryland’s traffic code and translated it to Arabic. Iraq never fully put it into effect.
19 February 2008
Recent Developments in Animal Transparency
Transparent frogs:
A research team led by professor Masayuki Sumida at Hiroshima University’s Institute for Amphibian Biology has created a type of transparent frog whose internal organs are visible through its skin.
Professor Sumida says, “Transparent frogs will prove useful as laboratory animals because they make it easier and cheaper to observe the development and progress of cancer, the growth and aging of internal organs, and the effects of chemicals on organs.”
The researchers also say that by fusing the genes of fluorescent proteins to the frog’s genes, they can create frogs that glow.
And transparent fish:
Now scientists at Children's Hospital Boston have generated a transparent zebrafish by mating two specific strains: a breed that lacks reflective pigment, called roy orbison, with one that lacks black pigment, called nacre. The offspring had only yellow pigment in their skin, essentially looking clear. Richard White, a clinical fellow in the Stem Cell Program at Children's, named the new breed Casper...
A research team led by professor Masayuki Sumida at Hiroshima University’s Institute for Amphibian Biology has created a type of transparent frog whose internal organs are visible through its skin.
Professor Sumida says, “Transparent frogs will prove useful as laboratory animals because they make it easier and cheaper to observe the development and progress of cancer, the growth and aging of internal organs, and the effects of chemicals on organs.”
The researchers also say that by fusing the genes of fluorescent proteins to the frog’s genes, they can create frogs that glow.
And transparent fish:
Now scientists at Children's Hospital Boston have generated a transparent zebrafish by mating two specific strains: a breed that lacks reflective pigment, called roy orbison, with one that lacks black pigment, called nacre. The offspring had only yellow pigment in their skin, essentially looking clear. Richard White, a clinical fellow in the Stem Cell Program at Children's, named the new breed Casper...
18 February 2008
You Really CAN Get Everything on Ebay
Canadian man tries to auction his pancreas:
Meunier, who could not be reached for comment on Monday, was reportedly prompted to market his pancreas after visiting a Montreal hospital ahead of a pancreatectomy.
He balked when informed he couldn't take possession of the organ following the surgery.
...[he] is hoping to raise awareness about a glucose deficiency known as nesidioblastosis, and cash in on his rare pancreatic problem at the same time.
"I need serious help...I want to do something to cure it (nesidioblastosis) or stop it," the posting reads. "As a matter of fact, I'm so decided (sic) to help that I would be ready to place my pancreas at the disposal of serious researchers."
Learn a little more or a lot more about this workhorse gland.
Meunier, who could not be reached for comment on Monday, was reportedly prompted to market his pancreas after visiting a Montreal hospital ahead of a pancreatectomy.
He balked when informed he couldn't take possession of the organ following the surgery.
...[he] is hoping to raise awareness about a glucose deficiency known as nesidioblastosis, and cash in on his rare pancreatic problem at the same time.
"I need serious help...I want to do something to cure it (nesidioblastosis) or stop it," the posting reads. "As a matter of fact, I'm so decided (sic) to help that I would be ready to place my pancreas at the disposal of serious researchers."
Learn a little more or a lot more about this workhorse gland.
17 February 2008
"Cincinnati Chili" Makes Saveur 100 List
Saveur (aka "Food Lifestyles of the Rich & Famous") is a fancy-shmancy food magazine. Think of the Ralph Lauren magazine ads. If the people in those ads had a farm, this is what they would eat.
So you can imagine my surprise, that among such items as tiefenbrünner feldmarschall, atol de elote, and bodegón os concheiros, Saveur included our very own formidable contribution to American cuisine:
...a trip to Cincinnati is an eye-opening experience. CINCINNATI CHILI—a combo of ground beef sautéed with ground cumin and cinnamon—is more of a meaty topping than a stew. As with any estimable local favorite, the dish comes with its own lingo: you can order it "two-way" (served on spaghetti), "three-way" (with the addition of grated cheddar cheese), "four-way" (with cheese and chopped onions), or "five-way" (with cheese, onions, and stewed kidney beans). An invention of Greek and Slavic immigrants, Cincinnati chili is a distant cousin of Mediterranean pasticcio. In an age when quirky regional specialties are on the wane, this is a hearty food that never fails to warm our hearts—or our bellies.
Yes, I know... it's pretty obvious they've never even been to Cincinnati and this is just a bunch of crap to fill up space in a magazine. Who the hell gets a 2-way? Is that even on the menu anymore?
I'd liken it to one of those "10 things to do before you die" lists in Forbes or WSJ; a list by (and for) the white, middle-aged executive to pretend he's got the gumption and/or fortitude to do something exciting that might actually have impressed that amazing girl who needed something more from a man than upward mobility.
Nevertheless,Poseur Saveur, it's nice to be mentioned. Next time, come here for real.
So you can imagine my surprise, that among such items as tiefenbrünner feldmarschall, atol de elote, and bodegón os concheiros, Saveur included our very own formidable contribution to American cuisine:
...a trip to Cincinnati is an eye-opening experience. CINCINNATI CHILI—a combo of ground beef sautéed with ground cumin and cinnamon—is more of a meaty topping than a stew. As with any estimable local favorite, the dish comes with its own lingo: you can order it "two-way" (served on spaghetti), "three-way" (with the addition of grated cheddar cheese), "four-way" (with cheese and chopped onions), or "five-way" (with cheese, onions, and stewed kidney beans). An invention of Greek and Slavic immigrants, Cincinnati chili is a distant cousin of Mediterranean pasticcio. In an age when quirky regional specialties are on the wane, this is a hearty food that never fails to warm our hearts—or our bellies.
Yes, I know... it's pretty obvious they've never even been to Cincinnati and this is just a bunch of crap to fill up space in a magazine. Who the hell gets a 2-way? Is that even on the menu anymore?
I'd liken it to one of those "10 things to do before you die" lists in Forbes or WSJ; a list by (and for) the white, middle-aged executive to pretend he's got the gumption and/or fortitude to do something exciting that might actually have impressed that amazing girl who needed something more from a man than upward mobility.
Nevertheless,
15 February 2008
Topics for Church Socials, vol. 2
Good news for lesbians who want to have biological children related to both parents: a new stem-cell technique could allow scientists to convert female cells into sperm. Use that sperm to fertilize an egg, and voila: children with two female biological parents.
More...
More...
14 February 2008
Greatness Overrated?
The petulant Patriot and the prevaricating pitcher.
Bill Belichick made more than one illegal tape. Wow, big surprise...
Bill Belichick has been illegally taping opponents' defensive signals since he became the New England Patriots' coach in 2000, according to Sen. Arlen Specter, who said NFL commissioner Roger Goodell told him that during a meeting Wednesday.
Goodell got the tapes from Belichick and then destroyed the evidence. Some people think hasty destruction of evidence suggests wrongdoing. They just don't understandCIA interrogation techniques football.
And Clemens made his pitch to Congress yesterday. The general consensus is that he threw some junk, but if you want to see something hilarious, take a look at this fawning piece from SI's Michael McCann, who apparently works part-time as Clemens' bichon frise. Compare ESPN's article with his FOXesque spin on reality:
Clemens' answer? Blame everyone but himself
Wednesday was a day of losers. While the Mitchell report withstood its stiffest challenge yet, baseball lost. Roger Clemens lost and Brian McNamee lost. Clemens had his day under oath in front of the country, and he spent it flailing, splashing against relentless waves of facts he could not calm, even after 4½ hours.
Clemens stands tall on Capitol Hill
Though stumbling on a couple of questions, Roger Clemens emerged favorably from Wednesday's hearing before the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform.
Need a laugh? Read the rest.
Bill Belichick made more than one illegal tape. Wow, big surprise...
Bill Belichick has been illegally taping opponents' defensive signals since he became the New England Patriots' coach in 2000, according to Sen. Arlen Specter, who said NFL commissioner Roger Goodell told him that during a meeting Wednesday.
Goodell got the tapes from Belichick and then destroyed the evidence. Some people think hasty destruction of evidence suggests wrongdoing. They just don't understand
And Clemens made his pitch to Congress yesterday. The general consensus is that he threw some junk, but if you want to see something hilarious, take a look at this fawning piece from SI's Michael McCann, who apparently works part-time as Clemens' bichon frise. Compare ESPN's article with his FOXesque spin on reality:
Clemens' answer? Blame everyone but himself
Wednesday was a day of losers. While the Mitchell report withstood its stiffest challenge yet, baseball lost. Roger Clemens lost and Brian McNamee lost. Clemens had his day under oath in front of the country, and he spent it flailing, splashing against relentless waves of facts he could not calm, even after 4½ hours.
Clemens stands tall on Capitol Hill
Though stumbling on a couple of questions, Roger Clemens emerged favorably from Wednesday's hearing before the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform.
Need a laugh? Read the rest.
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