The Cool Blue Blog

In praise of Sen Schumer

In introducing New York Senator Schumer to the graduating class of Queens College, State Controller Alan Hevesi offered the following

"The man who, how do I phrase this diplomatically, who will put a bullet between the president's eyes if he could get away with it. The toughest senator, the best representative. A great, great member of the Congress of the United States."

Mr. Hevesi has since retracted his statement claiming he misquoted himself

"What I intended to say was that Chuck Schumer is incredibly smart, courageous, willing even to stand up to the President of the United States," Hevesi said.

"What came out of my mouth was that Chuck Schumer is smart and brave and capable of putting a bullet between the President's eyes."

We'll credit him with a slight slip o' the tongue.

Could happen to anyone...

Really...

The Da Vinci Code Diet

Bakers have been especially hurt by the low-carb diet craze. But one is striking back...

A baker who lost half his business to the low-carb craze has written a book based on the mathematical principles of the Golden Ratio, a formula used by Leonardo Da Vinci and made popular in the best seller, "The Da Vinci Code."

Stephen Lanzalotta created what he called the "Da Vinci Diet" in response to the decline in bread consumption brought on by the popularity of the Atkins Diet. The diet consists mostly of Mediterranean foods, including bread, fish, cheese, vegetables, meat, nuts and wine.

He signed a deal last year with Warner Books, a division of Time Warner Book Group, that included a six-figure advance.

Well that should help make up for his losses. But is there a scientific basis for his approach?

The diet is based on the Golden Ratio or Phi, a mathematical value that was used to build the pyramids and has since been found to exist most everywhere in nature. Da Vinci is said to have used the Golden Ratio to proportion the human figures in his paintings which is how it found its way into Dan Brown's hugely popular novel.

"The basic premise is most universal patterns are based on the Golden Ratio, including our bodies," Lanzalotta said Thursday in his bakery-restaurant, Sophia's.

I guess that's a no.