No, I'm not... :-)

Several aspects to this. From a personal perspective, the police presence is much less, and much less threatening. Our cop-on-the-beat does not carry a gun, and I think this makes a vast difference in the kind of person attracted to the profession. There's less abject poverty; we have poor people but the number of desperate poor is much less here - and that leads to less crime. We do have a lot of burglaries here, but other minor crimes seem much reduced. Also, a lot fewer handguns in circulation add to the general safety aspect. We have no dangerous animals to speak of as well. We don't have HFCS here at all (unless it's in US imports). We have better health care coverage and leave (full-time employees get 4 weeks minimum by law). Local dairy products, fruits and vegetables are great. Every tiny little place that serves coffee has an espresso machine and makes a great cup - it's hard to find places that serve old-fashioned 'filter coffee' any more. The weather is fantastic. The politicians aren't as corrupt. We have an MMP system for electing representatives that (in my opinion) is superior to yours (first-past-the-post), in that it allows smaller parties to wield real power. Kids here aren't afraid of strangers. I could go on (and I do!)

The reason not to put a number on it is to avoid gamesmanship, as I understand it. Once a post or comment has a full circledot, the game is over - because hubski does not want to emphasise that particular game.

Understood.

Imagine you're a minister from 50 or 100 years ago, and you don't believe you should have to marry a black man to a white woman, on purely religious grounds.

Was that minister right or wrong? In his time, it would not even have been a question, but seen in today's eyes, it's different. What will the world look like in another 100 years?

Who would Jesus allow to get married?

Black Mirror is good stuff, but be warned - the first episode is a bit disturbing. Worth sticking with it though.

Roofs already have vents to reduce the trapped heat.

This part needs improving, that's all. Sensors and more power.

A solution like that pictured is a recipe for water ingress.

There's a time and a place for everything, and it's called college

-- Chef, from South Park

"She who used to be the beautiful heaulmière" by Rodin

Anyone can see a pretty girl. An artist can look at a pretty girl and see the old woman she will become. A better artist can look at an old woman and see the pretty girl she used to be. A great artist can look at an old woman, portray her exactly as she is . . . and force the viewer to see the pretty girl she used to be . . . more than that, he can make anyone with the sensitivity of an armadillo see that this lovely young girl is still alive, prisoned inside her ruined body. He can make you feel the quiet, endless tragedy that there was never a girl born who ever grew older than eighteen in her heart . . . no matter what the merciless hours have done. Look at her, Ben. Growing old doesn't matter to you and me—but it does to them. Look at her!

This will be a little disgusting, sorry.

Sometimes, when you've been sick for a few days, and you're starting to feel better; and then, usually unexpectedly, a huge hunk of phlegm will come loose from your sinuses, you cough it up, and all of the sudden you feel fully not-sick. I love that sensation.

Running from problems will never fix them.

Fixing America's problems was less of a motivation to me than improving my own life. To each his own :-)

Just FYI, to "lose your religion", originally at least, has nothing to do with religion. It means "to lose your shit", roughly.

I was raised Christian, but gave it up in my early teens; called myself "agnostic" for a long time, but "atheist" is clearly the correct term, for me.

I don't remember any specific trigger; but it wasn't long after I read the entire Bible that I changed my mind. Actually reading the book goes a long way towards exposing the lack of coherence in Christianity; possibly moreso for me, because the sect I was raised in (Southern Baptist) is one of those that strongly believes in the literal truth of the Bible.

"Official term" is not the right phrase, but - it really was not that long ago that there was damn-near zero stigma attached to the use of "nigger". See Mark Twain's "Huckleberry Finn", for example - 1885.

Got to disagree with you here. I much prefer a world where racists at least know that they should be ashamed of holding those views (until, via code words, they realise that others hold similar views). I think it's a step in the right direction, when racists have to be closeted. Sets a better example for the young ones.

TMBG put it well.

Same thing that happens when someone buries a bar of gold someplace random and then dies before telling anyone where. It's very likely never going to be seen again.

"A Prayer for Owen Meany". Sad and poignant but maybe not depressing, sorry.