The very many questions-not-worth-their-own-thread question thread XXX

[civvver]

In a conversation about real estate prices, a wealthy woman said to me, with a straight face, "a million dollars doesn't buy what it used to." I honestly can't tell you she was doing some kind of Christopher Guest/Ricky Gervais-style, deadpan humor.

Well that's cus it doesn't dude. If you live in any wealthy suburban area a million bucks will get you a large lot and a large house with great amenities, but it's not like a celebrity mansion or anything. I mean I drive by million dollar neighborhoods and they look like normal houses, maybe 4000 sq feet which is big but not gigantic, just fancier with big lots. Housing in hot markets isn't cheap. If you live in nyc or pala alto a million probably gets you 3 beds 2 baths ranch style or something.

 

[EgonSpengler]

Well that's cus it doesn't dude. If you live in any wealthy suburban area a million bucks will get you a large lot and a large house with great amenities, but it's not like a celebrity mansion or anything. I mean I drive by million dollar neighborhoods and they look like normal houses, maybe 4000 sq feet which is big but not gigantic, just fancier with big lots. Housing in hot markets isn't cheap. If you live in nyc or pala alto a million probably gets you 3 beds 2 baths ranch style or something.

Yeah, those poor sods probably don't even have swimming pools. You have to admire their fortitude, just to make it through the day.

 

[The_J]

When I tried to answer the question, I tried to compare it to feudalism. For some reason they didn't know about feudalism, but when I tried to explain it to them, they said that feudalism sounded like a good thing. The idea of being "set for life", having your own plot of land and inheriting the family business. Then they mentioned how those in power are just as trapped in that system as the peasants.

Man, you really need to get new friends.
Not necessarily because of the position they hold (they can have whatever opinion they want to), but more because of the simple minded approach there.

 

[Cutlass]

i replaced a flourescent light bulb in the kitchen. and the thing is fluctuating. like there's a wave of electricity running down the bulb. never seen anything like it before. what causes that?

 

[Takhisis]

Without seeing it I cannot tell you.

a) are you sure the bulb is properly screwed in?
b) is it a new bulb?

 

[Cutlass]

It's in secure. Not previously used bulb that's been in storage for years.

 

[shadowplay]

i replaced a flourescent light bulb in the kitchen. and the thing is fluctuating. like there's a wave of electricity running down the bulb. never seen anything like it before. what causes that?

Manufacturing defect in the bulb, take it back.

 

[Synobun]

Well that's cus it doesn't dude. If you live in any wealthy suburban area a million bucks will get you a large lot and a large house with great amenities, but it's not like a celebrity mansion or anything. I mean I drive by million dollar neighborhoods and they look like normal houses, maybe 4000 sq feet which is big but not gigantic, just fancier with big lots. Housing in hot markets isn't cheap. If you live in nyc or pala alto a million probably gets you 3 beds 2 baths ranch style or something.

I love reading posts like this while living in a market where 4000 sq ft costs over 4 million.

 

[Camikaze]

Similarly, I live in a suburb 20+km from the city centre, and most regular 3 bedroom, 2 car houses on that size block are selling for $1m. Anything closer is more expensive. This is not unheard of in a lot of world cities. Ten years ago the prices were half what they are now. So I can understand the sentiment of "$1m doesn't buy what it used to".

 

[Valka D'Ur]

Well, I could go around saying things like "You are poor until you have your own plane" or "public transport is for bums", but I don't.

Some 30+ years ago, I attended an all-candidates' forum for the local municipal election. A woman in the audience asked a question pertaining to the public transit system, and part of it involved asking the alderman candidates for a show of hands to indicate which of them had ever taken public transit. A couple of them readily put up their hands, but one woman cautiously and slowly raised her hand to about shoulder level, arm held very close to her body, while simultaneously looking around. Her body language just absolutely screamed "I hope nobody who matters sees me raising my hand and thinks I actually took the bus more than once!". That, right there, cost her my vote, my grandmother's vote, and over the years I've heard from other people who immediately distrusted her ability to connect with the "normal" people here who have to rely on public transit.

A few years later, this woman ended up as mayor. I never did vote for her, and she never did understand that she could pretend to be one of the "little" people, but her nonverbal tics gave her away every time.


I really don't have a high opinion of people who look down on those who rely on public transit.

 

[dusters]

Well, I could say that the average person in Canada who takes public transit probably smells and looks better than the ones I see in Latvia.

 

[Valka D'Ur]

Well, I could say that the average person in Canada who takes public transit probably smells and looks better than the ones I see in Latvia.

That would be true in my city, unless you count all the whining, crying babies and the mothers with strollers the size of shopping carts.

There are some pretty awful accounts of what goes on in Edmonton, though (the provincial capitol, 90 minutes north of here). The last time I took public transit there was 30 years ago, in the middle of the day, from the Greyhound to West Edmonton Mall. I wouldn't even do that, now.

 

[dusters]

I can try not to sound mean, but I take public tranport almost every day and it is very crowded, sometimes smelly and I would like to go by car very much if I lived in an another city. Riga is too crowded to go by car, best transport is train.

 

[REDY]

What is "progressive". Is it just pc word for socialism or is it stand alone american philosophy like pragmatism? Or something else?

 

[Cutlass]

What is "progressive". Is it just pc word for socialism or is it stand alone american philosophy like pragmatism? Or something else?

Back in the latter part of the 19th century 'progressive' was a label that people who wanted to make reforms to protect people from abuses of the market, or just bad fate, adopted for their political movement. Over time their enemies used the term as an attack or a slur to such an extent that they adopted the term 'liberal' instead. Then their enemies used that as as attack or a slur to the extent that 'progressive' came back into use.

 

[warpus]

Conservatives want to conserve social norms, progressives want social norms to progress and evolve

 

[REDY]

Is being progressive different from being social liberal?

 

[cardgame]

It's mostly the same thing.

 

[Traitorfish]

"Socially liberal" doesn't really mean anything, though. It's just something that libertarians say because they inexplicably crave left-wing approval.

 

[Snerk]

When it comes down to it it's pretty hard to pin down the term progressive as well.