Traveling

[O Really]

They didn't mention that San Diego is according to some lists the safest big city in the US. But I did get a chuckle at "... Play a round of golf at Torrey Pines ..." with a weekday green fee of $223, plus cart, etc. Says something about the demographic the article is for.

Speaking of cost of living, though, yesterday I bought gas for$4.14, lowest it's been in months. Previous low was when one of the Indian-owned casino stations had gas for $3.99 for Labor Day. On the other hand, I get free beach-front parking, the fabulous Balboa Park (mentioned in the article) and eat 50-cent avocados.

[Vrede too]

They didn't mention that San Diego is according to some lists the safest big city in the US. But I did get a chuckle at "... Play a round of golf at Torrey Pines ..." with a weekday green fee of $223, plus cart, etc. Says something about the demographic the article is for.

Speaking of cost of living, though, yesterday I bought gas for$4.14, lowest it's been in months. Previous low was when one of the Indian-owned casino stations had gas for $3.99 for Labor Day. On the other hand, I get free beach-front parking, the fabulous Balboa Park (mentioned in the article) and eat 50-cent avocados.

A different 'Best Of' list, you win BRD.
Most Caring Cities in the U.S. according to WalletHub:

1 Madison, WI
2 Boston, MA

4 New York, NY
5 San Diego, CA - It was worse before the O Reallys moved to the area.

7 Colorado Springs, CO - As long as you are an xtian militarist.
8 Fremont, CA - It would be #1 except Useless lives there.

14 San Francisco, CA - My old home.
15 Denver, CO - My old temporary home.
16 Seattle, WA - They still call it the Lady O/Megan Rapinoe effect.

23 Chicago, IL - It was worse before GoCubsGo moved back to the area.

31 Washington, DC - My birth place!

39 Philadelphia, PA - O Really lived there.

41 Raleigh, NC - Only when the RepuQ Leg is not in session.

52 Baltimore, MD - Go Ravens!

58 Charlotte, NC - Semi-hominies!
59 Oakland, CA - My old home.

61 Durham, NC - Go Duke!

67 Bakersfield, CA - Ironic that it produced and is represented by Kevin McCarthy

91 Greensboro, NC

93 Winston-Salem, NC

[O Really]

Given the criteria, it's hard to believe Bakersfield is on the list at all. It's also hard to believe some of the lowered ones are where they are.

[Vrede too]

Given the criteria, it's hard to believe Bakersfield is on the list at all. It's also hard to believe some of the lowered ones are where they are.

Yeah, I see these lists as largely having entertainment value and only providing some subjective general guidance. I also think it's possible for a single community to shine in both "caring" and different "uncaring" metrics. Sometimes, there's "caring" exactly because society has allowed things to get so bad. Anyhow, fwiw Congrats!

[billy.pilgrim]

Interesting that the high ranking for cities in retirementland Florida is largely dependent on the way we treat old people. Exceptions Orlando and Miami, Florida scores worse at caring for the vulnerable and the community than in caring for the workforce

But then, we “really don't care. Do U?"

[O Really]

My post about Oregon in "Can't fix Stupid" reminds me. Oregon to the east of the mountains is, with the exception of Bend, pretty much a desolate place where not many people live. But the few people who live there are mad because they don't see their interests as being represented in the Dem-majority legislature and Dem governor and Dem congresscritters so they want to get traded to Idaho where, surprisingly, the Repugs dominate everything to the detriment of the 13% that are registered Dem and the 35% unaffiliated. So in Idaho, almost half the registered voters aren't Repugs, yet they rule the state. The Oregon east-siders don't really care about fair representation, they only care about not being the minority anymore.

[O Really]

The road we took home from Palm Springs, through Anza Borrego desert. Lotta nothing to see.
Route 78 from Ocotilla Wells to Borrego Springs

[GoCubsGo]

The road we took home from Palm Springs, through Anza Borrego desert. Lotta nothing to see.
Route 78 from Ocotilla Wells to Borrego Springs

There's uglier nothings.

Try driving through Iowa or Nebraska.

I drove to Colorado once, the highlight of Nebraska was a feed lot off the interstate, otherwise nothing but corn for hours.

[O Really]

There's uglier nothings.

Try driving through Iowa or Nebraska.

I drove to Colorado once, the highlight of Nebraska was a feed lot off the interstate, otherwise nothing but corn for hours.

Yeah, Oklahoma, too. lotsa nothing.
But Kansas was surprising to us - expected nothing and found the 400 miles of it had some nice spots but we had to get off the freeway for them. We also found out a bit of trivia - Kansas isn't really flat. It looks flat, but it's like a giant tilted table starting out close to 4,000ft at the Colorado line and gradually dropping to about 700 feet on the other side.

[O Really]

So in an attempt to encourage people not to drive drunk, the San Diego Transit system is giving free rides tonight on everything they have - trains, busses, trams - to anywhere they go. Good program. But I wonder if they have a plan for retrieving all those drunk people trying to get somewhere on a bus or train and they aren't familiar with public transportation even when sober.

[GoCubsGo]

So in an attempt to encourage people not to drive drunk, the San Diego Transit system is giving free rides tonight on everything they have - trains, busses, trams - to anywhere they go. Good program. But I wonder if they have a plan for retrieving all those drunk people trying to get somewhere on a bus or train and they aren't familiar with public transportation even when sober.

There's an app for that.

[O Really]

Sure, but I don't know what your Chicago app is like - ours has a learning curve.

[Vrede too]

There's an app for that.

Sure, but I don't know what your Chicago app is like - ours has a learning curve.

Plus, it's marginally useful when seeing double <hic>. Missoula had a "Home Free" program where the bars would give out taxi vouchers. I never used it since I lived within walking (staggering) distance of downtown. If I drove there I would park just outside the meter zone so I could retrieve my car without penalty sometime the next day, if I drank enough to have to walk (stagger) home.

[GoCubsGo]

There's an app for that.

Sure, but I don't know what your Chicago app is like - ours has a learning curve.

Plus, it's marginally useful when seeing double <hic>. Missoula had a "Home Free" program where the bars would give out taxi vouchers. I never used it since I lived within walking (staggering) distance of downtown. If I drove there I would park just outside the meter zone so I could retrieve my car without penalty sometime the next day, if I drank enough to have to walk (stagger) home.

LOL

I was also thinking of Uber, it's got a GPS function that brings a car to you. You just have to be able to speak the address of your destination. Not a guarantee, biut pretty bulletproof.

[Vrede too]

LOL

I was also thinking of Uber, it's got a GPS function that brings a car to you. You just have to be able to speak the address of your destination. Not a guarantee, biut pretty bulletproof.

"biut" - Are you drunk typing right now?

[GoCubsGo]

LOL

I was also thinking of Uber, it's got a GPS function that brings a car to you. You just have to be able to speak the address of your destination. Not a guarantee, biut pretty bulletproof.

"biut" - Are you drunk typing right now?

Nah,

Stoned.

[Vrede too]

LOL

I was also thinking of Uber, it's got a GPS function that brings a car to you. You just have to be able to speak the address of your destination. Not a guarantee, biut pretty bulletproof.

"biut" - Are you drunk typing right now?

Nah,

Stoned.

"Still in airplane mode"
Article

[O Really]

13 Most Liberal States in the United States 2024
By: AuthorAmanda OBrien

Posted onLast updated: 14/12/2023

I don't know why I would click on this other than to make sure my left coast states are still on the list, which they are.

But early on in the article I found some entertainment. How is is possible for anyone with any brain and even a modicum of understanding of politics not find these two sentences to be mutually exclusive:
(in describing "conservative" places) " ...People here want less government involvement and more individual freedom. They ... tend to have traditional values that oppose legalizing abortion and same-sex marriages.

I should have taken a clue from the European-style date, I suppose. Anyway author Amanda O’Brien "is the creator and editor of The Boutique Adventurer. She has visited 80 countries and is a member of the British Guild of Travel Writers as well as the IFTWTA. She is passionate about wine had has just completed Level 3 of the WSET. Born in Australia, she lives in London."

Probably used AI anyway.

https://theboutiqueadventurer.com/most- ... tent=other

[Vrede too]

13 Most Liberal States in the United States 2024
By: Amanda OBrien

Last updated: 14/12/2023

I don't know why I would click on this other than to make sure my left coast states are still on the list, which they are.

But early on in the article I found some entertainment. How is is possible for anyone with any brain and even a modicum of understanding of politics not find these two sentences to be mutually exclusive:
(in describing "conservative" places) "...People here want less government involvement and more individual freedom. They ... tend to have traditional values that oppose legalizing abortion and same-sex marriages."

I should have taken a clue from the European-style date, I suppose. Anyway author Amanda O’Brien "is the creator and editor of The Boutique Adventurer. She has visited 80 countries and is a member of the British Guild of Travel Writers as well as the IFTWTA. She is passionate about wine had has just completed Level 3 of the WSET. Born in Australia, she lives in London."

Probably used AI anyway.

https://theboutiqueadventurer.com/most- ... ed-states/

Good to see that 6. New Hampshire is now solidly liberal. It used to be pretty con, kind of an anti-Vermont.

4. Washington, 7. California, 10. Maryland, 12. New Jersey, 13. Illinois represent!

With over 50% of the electorate being self-identified conservatives, Mississippi is the least liberal state in the United States....

Wyoming is the nation’s most Republican state, with a PVI of R+25. The state’s largely rural, white, and Evangelical population firmly tilts it towards conservatism. Wyoming has been voting Republican in every presidential election since 1952, with the exclusion of 1964.

Idk, Amanda seems pretty sharp and insightful, and she writes well. For example:

Most Liberal States in the United States | Wrapped Up

All things considered, liberal states create an environment of social justice, equality, and progressive policies that uphold the rights of all citizens. Their culturally and ethnically diverse urban areas foster intellectual conversations that bring everyone’s opinions to the forefront....

Damn, liberals are pretty cool.

The sentences you quote are an accurate description of modern RW ideology, which is not really "conservative" as rstrong used to point out. I think outwardly unbiased Amanda may have deliberately chosen to present the contradiction in order to let the discerning reader know how stupid and vile RWers are.

FYI:
Wine & Spirit Education Trust (WSET)
International Food, Wine & Travel Writers Assn (IFTWTA)

[O Really]

Maybe I was a little rough on Amanda herself, but I'll stand by my ridicule of a belief that "less damgummint and more freedom" can be consistent with anti-abortion and anti- gay weddings. I guess I just blamed the messenger.