A Douglas Cress Production

Put Charities through a Rigorous Cost-Benefit Analysis

2007-12-21T11:07:00.000-05:00

This is a great idea - and a long time coming.

So many charities are blatantly wasteful and poorly run. Its good to see a studied investing approach applied to charitable organizations.

"[The] two 26-year-olds who quit their jobs at a Westport hedge fund to start a foundation that puts charities through a rigorous cost-benefit analysis and then rates them on their effectiveness. It's called GiveWell, and it's apparently causing quite a stir in the nonprofit community."

Bill's 59th Birthday

2007-11-26T22:14:00.000-05:00

New Restaurants at BlogSoop

2007-10-24T08:38:00.000-04:00

On Inspiration

2007-08-30T14:50:00.000-04:00

"The words aren’t gushing out like a flood, like they usually do. My narrator is reluctant, you see. Reluctant, misanthropic, fed up and hopeless. He’d be angry if he weren’t so jaded by now. So every time I sit down to write, it’s a little bit of a struggle. I can’t just give him control of my hands, like I normally do, and let my conscious mind go out for a smoke or some sushi. It’s an interactive process. I have to pour him drinks, get him talking, draw him out little by little. He wants to tell the story, he really does; but he’s also so tired, so full of pain that runs so deep it doesn’t even feel like pain any more. He doesn’t give a damn about himself or about anything else. Hell, in the first chapter we find him lying naked on a beach, waiting for heat exhaustion or dehydration or the sea to take him away. Getting him out of that hole, getting him to come inside and pick up a pencil, takes some doing."

- Jeff Harrell

Asking the Right Questions

2007-08-28T09:56:00.001-04:00

Is high fructose corn syrup any worse than its leading competitor, table sugar?

The publics lack of understanding needlessly vilifies this sweetener.

Martha's Vineyard

2007-08-22T13:31:00.000-04:00

Seeing how I rarely post new stuff here anymore, I thought I might share a few beach pictures from a recent excursion to Martha's Vineyard.

BlogSoop New York City Summer Dining Guide

2007-08-15T11:09:00.000-04:00

The 2007 BlogSoop New York City Summer Dining Guide is here.

Restaurant reviewed include:

Thanks to all the bloggers who have agreed to have their reviews included. I've included links to their sites - once downloaded its easy to click through and explore.

Feel free to copy, distribute, embed and or otherwise transmit the work as you see fit.

Citysearch Ad Buyer Beware

2007-08-13T08:44:00.000-04:00

Industry estimates put Citysearch ad spending in the $100 million/year range. The company buys keywords using AdWords (as well as with Yahoo! and other search engines) and then directs a visitor to sponsored listing, offsetting the purchase price of the click and potentially earning a profit. Citysearch is the most profitable search arbitrage site on the web.

When is Enough, Enough?

2007-08-08T12:42:00.000-04:00

Studies show our environment impacts our dietary decisions far more than we might predict.

Hot Pepper Seeks Spicy Masochist

2007-08-01T10:05:00.001-04:00

How did we, as a species, develop our perverse desire to suffer – and enjoy - chili’s painful burn? Are we masochistic gastronomes?

On Anosmia and Taste

2007-07-25T11:21:00.000-04:00

Two to five million American adults live with anosmia. They cannot detect odors of any kind – it is to smell what blindness is to sight.

Taste Superheroes

2007-07-19T12:35:00.001-04:00

Supertaste defined, supertaste as s predictor for diet and weight - and is one-size fits all food and wine criticism of any use?

Internet Crash

2007-07-18T21:14:00.000-04:00

The Body Knows Best

2007-07-18T09:57:00.000-04:00

Biological signals regulate food intake, according to John Allred, Ph.D., Ohio State University nutrition professor.

During a three-week study involving 25 male college students, a Carnation Instant Breakfast was served every day at lunch. Some shakes were prepared with whole milk, some with skim milk, and some consisted of skim milk and sugar.

Students who consumed the fatty, low-carb, whole-milk drinks compensated by eating less fat and more carbs later. Those who drank the low-fat, low-cal, skim-milk shakes ultimately upped their calorie intake, and those who drank the high-carb, low-fat shakes ate more fat but fewer carbohydrates throughout the afternoon.

Girl Talk Leads to Depression

2007-07-16T12:03:00.000-04:00

Girls who discuss problems with their friends may actually be increasing their negative feelings by doing so.

A study released Sunday by researchers at the University of Missouri-Columbia found that excessively discussing problems with close friends appears to increase anxiety and depression in young and adolescent girls - rather than reduce it. No such effect was found in adolescent boys.

Full Story

Picky Eaters

2007-07-11T15:08:00.001-04:00

I delve into the world of picky eaters in my latest post on the Soop.

MSGee Whiz

2007-07-03T12:32:00.001-04:00

An abbreviated history of MSG, its safety and use – and is it contributing to the obesity epidemic?

Orthopedics Special Focus

2007-07-02T22:16:00.000-04:00

Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger

2007-07-02T21:22:00.001-04:00

Mainstream Meadia & Food Blogging

2007-06-25T21:56:00.000-04:00

A new feature article at BlogSoop that I spent far too long writing:

An ecclesiastical history of the food web, the media’s response to online restaurant criticism, and why Mario Batali is an idiot.

Sunflower Seed Butter

2007-06-25T11:13:00.000-04:00

Photo Courtesy of Roboppy

According to research, sunflower seeds may help lower high blood pressure. Spanish researchers tested a fatless sunflower seed meal in an experiment that mimicked the body's digestive process. The seed meal released bioactive peptides that inhibited the production of an enzyme that contributes to high blood pressure. The researchers believe that whole sunflower seeds could have the same effect.

Some Local Music

2007-06-24T09:42:00.000-04:00

East Homicide Harlem / Don't Stop

Add to My Profile | More Videos

Bloomberg Wins Points with Reasonable Citizens

2007-06-20T10:55:00.000-04:00

Michael Bloomberg changed his party affiliation from Republican to unaffiliated yesterday.

I've always had the utmost respect for the man. His fiscal policy is sound and responsible. He seems like an all around reasonable and intelligent person.

I hope he runs for President; he has continually denied that he will.

Crocs??

2007-06-19T12:39:00.001-04:00

What's up with these shoes? I know they're comfortable, but they look ridiculous. Every time I see someone wearing a pair I want to ask if they've given up on life.

Irresponsible HIV Statistic?

2007-06-13T12:36:00.000-04:00

A few days ago I posted a statistic on the HIV infection rates among heterosexuals. The post got picked up on Sphere as a featured blog reaction to article on AOL: Man With HIV Gets Life Term for Sex. Several hundred people wandered over for a read.

There's a reason that statistic isn't broadly disseminated - it might actually strengthen one's proclivity for having unprotected sex. Does our society have a responsibility to protect us from accurate, yet potentially damaging information?

Here's another HIV statistic to consider (from National Geographic):