In my HOA almost all of the board members own multiple units and they don’t even live in our neighborhood. I know one is a realtor, as she sold me my place, and another is just an investor.

They’re not always the most pleasant people, but they do an ok job the majority of the time. People seem to hate owning a house but still getting told no on things.

I don’t know if they actually vote multiple times, but I think we’ve had less than a half dozen rule changes in the almost 20 years I’ve been there.

They have a vested financial interest in making the neighborhood as attractive and successful as the rest of us. While their motivation is purely a financial interest, the petty and self-centered things I’ve seen my fellow residents try to demand is crazier than anything our board has actually done.

I think it’s just less talked about because it seems to be going on so far from most English speaking places.

I’m not super familiar on any details, but of course there is a wiki for Buddism and Violence and there is plenty of current day stuff going on.

People are always going to eventually act their worst when enough refuse to back down on their personal beliefs, no matter their religion, or lack thereof for that matter. It’s sad seeing all the discrimination in the comments.

I imagine so. Everyone is looking to “see results,” but for the majority that is just going to mean make them invisible, while for the actual homeless, the answer is much more complicated and less popular with a lot of other people.

It’s very disappointing, but I don’t know how you get good people in a job like that. With so much responsibility, up to having people’s lives in your hands, while having to usually reach some type of consensus with other people, half of whom act like it’s their job to make you fail, and having the majority of the population second guess you on every action you take or don’t take, I’d never want that job.

With power consolidated into so few people in a top down power structure, it may only leave bull headed know it alls and egomaniacs in those positions. Add in our current technocrats pushing AI and this is the slop I think we’re going to start seeing much more often.

I commented in another post today about San Francisco’s mayor canceling his personal plan to address homelessness because after starting it against the advice of the actual people working to address homelessness, he tried a quick fix to Steve money to make the problem go away, he found the exact same issues those volunteers told him he was going to have. I know if I were stuck in the job, I’d be wanting to solicit experts for everything like this, but at the same time, your term would probably be over before you got anywhere.

Perhaps we’re just reaching the limits of what our current power structures can handle? It feels like everywhere is in just about the same mess these days.

Sounds like Grok is writing policy now.

This was a good supplement to OPs article, thanks.

I’m not sure why governments seem so willing to meet with commercial solutions who profit off these building projects, but not volunteer organizations that are out there working with the people who need these benefits and resources. The quotes from the workers seem to make it really clear how just making beds for individuals with no privacy or safety for their stuff doesn’t really draw in the people that need help. The homeless have families and pets and precious possessions they can’t give up to stay in shelters. A one size fits all approach isn’t going to work while not ending up being something cruel.

That French taco doesn’t sound too bad. Sounds like a crunchy kebab.

I’ve made Canadian style donair with the traditional garlic sauce fries, and this reminds me somewhat of both of those, only put together.

Thanks for the links. I hadn’t gotten around to really learning anything about this guy yet.

Most things sounded like basic things a government should do for people. The real “controversy” seems to be that he wants rich people and businesses to chip in more and not get quite as many special privileges at the sale of other people

The city owned grocery stores sound interesting. The one article said other cities have recently started testing the same idea. In Pennsylvania we have state owned liquor stores that have gotten better now that rules have been loosened to create some competition. They’ve traditionally been looked at as a monopoly, limiting selection and keeping prices high.

With it being just city owned stores, they’d seem to still have all the same competition that exists now, but the city could get volume pricing and not have to include massive real estate expenses into the operating costs. If it continues to be run for the benefit of the people and doesn’t line anyone’s pockets, it sounds like it could be a great benefit.

With the low cost housing, one thing I thought while reading is how do you keep those units from being scooped up by investors?

He’s really got a lot of lofty goals, and it seems like a very intense and complicated job if he gets to be mayor. I wish him luck!

We usually get things like the chocolate covered cashews or sea salt caramels. They occasionally have some peanut butter or maybe cashew butter cups and those I remember being really good.

Aldi has such awesome chocolate! Thanks for pointing out the reason.

I am very aware, as someone in one of Pennsylvania’s blue dots. But I don’t want to live fully encircled by active hostiles.

Close down a few major roadways and it’s siege tactics, and blue areas would get starved out or cut off from water pretty quickly. Most people won’t be fighters, and it just seems like a bad situation.

Plus that red land, while not necessarily lived on is where a lot of food, resources, and commerce is. How much food can we grow or raise in cities. How much defense industry do we have? Where do we get wood or my minerals/ores?

Secession just seems like a way for a lot of people to suffer. We need to get the whole place back, not specks here and there that are dependent on (?).

I vote Nay.

While land doesn’t vote, if you look at a county election map, anyone seceding is not going to just walk away with current borders intact, and even if you establish a new border, you’re going to be in the middle of enemy territory no matter which state we’re talking about.

Yes, so I am overwhelming myself with good stuff so I don’t have as much time to let that stuff bother me.

I joined an animal rescue that I work at every Sunday and busy my butt there. I also started participating in community events with other people through my music teacher, so I’ve always got new songs to work on. These national protests also have a more uplifting vibe than I’d expected, so I’d like to participate in more of those too.

So I’m feeling better about my own actions, developing more skills, helping my environment, giving entertainment back to my community, and seeing hundreds of other people that also want this place to be a bit better.

Sure the news is still a total buzzkill, but I can only dwell on it so long. I put off doing these things for so long saying I didn’t have time or energy, but now they are wonderful healthy distractions, and even if we do pull out of this tailspin, I’d love to keep doing all these things anyway.

Don’t let jerks keep you down. We can’t stop all of it, but we can all find some way to be useful and successful, and other people seeing you carry on will keep them motivated too!

The conversation there looked great, so I kept finding myself there, so I just sucked it up. I always saw them politely ask people to respect the rule, but I know it’s gotta get old repeating themselves every time. Guys got literally every other community! Let them have one in peace. They know where to find us fellas if they really need us. 🤣

It’s like eves dropping on a group of people in public. Yes, they’re talking where anyone can listen, but it tends to make people uncomfortable if you lurk there obviously or chime into their conversation, so it’s polite to move on or ignore them. I just blocked them, out of respect, not frustration. It just removes the temptation while not affecting them in any way.

The best part is, as another person said in this post, is any questions you do have that are female related, you can ask in another community and those same nice ladies will answer you. 😁

It does meander a bit, as it’s more a reflection of the author’s history with Petty on the one year anniversary of his passing that just happens to eventually settle on a tale about coffee perfection.

I like it overall as a tale about simple pleasures and what will people remember most about us after we’re gone rather than a guide on how to achieve the perfect cup. I have reservations about if I’d agree that was the best cup ever if I had been there with them, but that was what reminded me of the story while I was reading about you having a mug of instant coffee with your family. 😊

I didn’t drink coffee for half my life because I was usually always around burnt, bottom tier coffee.

After moving largely away from whiskies and runs due to medicine I was on, I wanted a complex beverage to fill that void and gave some decent coffee a shot. It was of course worlds beyond most of what I’ve had anywhere else, and now I try different single origins every month.

But the real wild thing, is now I apply that tasting ability I’ve developed to diner coffee, and now the particular funk of a Waffle House cup gives me the memories of old road trips. The coffee from the local diner reminds me I’m home. Now that I can pick out one cup of low grade from another, it lets me appreciate the times I do go low on coffee.

Your comment made me think of the semi-famous Tom Petty coffee story from Rolling Stone. In searching for the article, I saw something claiming his daughters refuted the claims of his brand of choice, though still others claimed Mr Petty had personally verified it with them, so who’s to say for sure at this point. But anyone who likes coffee, Tom Petty, or some food storytelling should like this tale of a man and his quest for the perfect cup. For anyone that hasn’t read the story, I really enjoy it and think it’s a fun read and a reminder of simple joys in life.

IceRaven on mobile mostly. Was diehard for Kiwi, but it’s stopped development and is being absorbed into Edge. Tried all the current stuff, and IceRaven was the most like what I was used to.

I don’t get why people try to hide freckles. They’re so unique!

Glad to help! I always kinda wanted one but wasn’t convinced I’d use it, but I borrowed a real basic one from my brother and found so many uses for it. Now having one with pulse vacuuming and the hose attachment, I do even more things! I may just love pressing buttons though. 😁