I spent many nights in the liberated summer between high school graduation and enrolling at Yale taking long solo drives, exploring outer suburban Philadelphia. One night, meandering along Route 23, I saw this at the intersection with Route 113N in Phoenixville: My idea of heaven was, and remains, a 24-hour diner, though less so when … Continue reading Two distinct restaurants. Two different conversations. One unanswered question.
Author: Matt Berger
I am a data geek, writer, investigator and film noir devotee with academic training in political science (Yale BA, Harvard MA), biostatistics (Boston University SPH MA) and epidemiology (Boston University SPH PhD). In January 2021, I finished writing Interrogating Memory: Film Noir Spurs a Deep Dive Into My Family History...and My Own, which I published through Interrogating Memory Press (via BookBaby) in May 2002. In Chapter 6: So...What Is Film Noir, Again?, I analyze my film noir database, which contains 4,825 titles. My musical holy trinity is Genesis, Miles Davis and Stan Ridgway. I am a liberal Democrat who understands a thriving democracy requires at least two mature political parties. I grew up just outside Philadelphia, and I live just outside Boston, where my wife and daughters keep me happy, sane and grounded. Please ask me anything else you want to know.
Jon Ossoff, Ed Markey, and the (near-)future of the Democratic Party
The runoff special election for Georgia’s 6th Congressional District (CD) is June 20, 2017. Democrat Jon Ossoff won the first round of voting on April 19, 2017, but with only 48.1% of the vote. Rather than have separate party primaries, all candidates in Georgia run in a single “jungle primary.” If nobody receives more than … Continue reading Jon Ossoff, Ed Markey, and the (near-)future of the Democratic Party
Democrats’ current generic ballot advantage is JUST enough to recapture the House in 2018
On June 5, 2017, the data journalism website fivethirtyeight.com introduced its new yardstick to assess which political party is winning the battle to control the U.S. House of Representatives (House) after the 2018 midterm elections. This tool is a weighted average of “generic ballot polls,” polls that ask respondents some variant of the question “If the … Continue reading Democrats’ current generic ballot advantage is JUST enough to recapture the House in 2018
Democrats need to capitalize on gubernatorial election opportunities in 2017 and 2018
Having previously analyzed Democratic prospects in the 2018 midterm elections for U.S. House (House; here and here) and Senate (Senate; here), I now examine what I think are the most important elections for both parties in 2017 and 2018—those for governor. In an age of increasing partisan polarization and Congressional gridlock, governors have emerged as … Continue reading Democrats need to capitalize on gubernatorial election opportunities in 2017 and 2018
A wicked early look at the 2018 U.S. Senate Elections
In two previous posts (here and here), I obliquely assessed the Democrats’ prospects for recapturing the U.S. House of Representatives in 2018. I will now do the same for the U.S. Senate (Senate), which Republicans now control 52-48 (including two Independents who caucus with the Democrats). ********* Just bear with me while I review some … Continue reading A wicked early look at the 2018 U.S. Senate Elections
Film Noir: A Personal Journey
[Eds. note: This essay was the inspiration for my 2022 book Interrogating Memory: Film Noir Spurs a Deep Dive Into My Family History...and My Own. If you like what you read below, I think you will love the book.] A few years ago, I turned 48. On a lark, I decided to celebrate (in part) … Continue reading Film Noir: A Personal Journey
The AHCA vote likely increased Democrats’ chances of winning the U.S. House in 2018
Alaska and Hawaii became the 49th and 50th states, respectively, in 1959. As a result, 1962 was the first election year to reflect the current U.S. House of Representatives (House) configuration of 435 seats allocated across 50 states[1]. These were also the first House elections since John F. Kennedy won the presidency two years earlier. … Continue reading The AHCA vote likely increased Democrats’ chances of winning the U.S. House in 2018
The rich get richer, even in epidemiologic studies.
In a previous post, I indicated that I would eventually post epidemiologic analyses. This is the first such post. Please refer back to the previous post, as needed, for a brief overview of epidemiologic methods and key concepts. ********** My doctoral thesis in epidemiology focused on the health impacts of neighborhood walkability: “Thus, more proximate … Continue reading The rich get richer, even in epidemiologic studies.
How film noir made me appreciate my daughter’s birthday celebration even more
My eldest daughter (let’s call her MyED) turned nine yesterday. I know that MyED turned nine yesterday not only because I was at my wife’s side nine years ago yesterday when MyED was born, but because it is practically all anyone has heard from MyED, since…well, since her younger sister turned seven four months ago. … Continue reading How film noir made me appreciate my daughter’s birthday celebration even more
Revisiting my old baseball player metrics…
In the summer of 1994, I was pursuing a doctorate in government. Desperately procrastinating, I found myself building datasets of 1993 major league baseball player data. Funny that I never finished that doctorate… Another motivation was frustration with the letter-grade system then in use to determine compensation for major league baseball teams for the loss … Continue reading Revisiting my old baseball player metrics…
Just Bear With Me... 