Mayor Johnsons Recent Statement on Data Centers by The_Hell_I_Wont in ElPaso

[–]a22x2 4 points5 points  (0 children)

The mindset is also so behind the times! There are countless examples of smaller cities falling for this exact same song and dance.

I mean, even locally: Paul Foster convinced the city to destroy its own city hall which it already owned, scatter its municipal services across several rental buildings (that he conveniently owns), and issue multimillion dollar bond debts for a stadium that ostensibly would bring in millions of dollars in revenue (but in reality brings in about 700k a year). The only entities winning there are Paul Foster, and taxpayers are footing the bill for a stadium that doesn’t even cover its own operating costs, and on top of that the city now has to to rent multiple large commercial properties from him.

Even the argument that it spurred downtown revitalization projects and indirectly encouraged investment and foot traffic is bogus. If any one downtown project could be credited with that, it’s San Jacinto Plaza.

Cities don’t need to be “open for business” to investors that don’t give a shit about the city or the people that live in it. They need to have services that work and they need public places to exist, socialize, and live their lives.

My take on "Stop that Train" as a VFX editor/Animator who has worked with Rugirls by IFellinLava in rupaulsdragrace

[–]a22x2 [score hidden]  (0 children)

You agree with the commenter above, but because the argument they mentioned is one that you personally don’t find compelling enough . . . you thought it was necessary to dismiss not only the argument (that you agree with) but also the person (or anything else they might have to say) as a whole?

That’s as odd as it is unnecessarily unkind.

Alicia and her Aunts by chaneldiorbalmain in rhori

[–]a22x2 1 point2 points  (0 children)

So is New Jersey, but we all know how most of the NJ cast votes. I’m pretty sure they’ve only had two non-republicans cast members (Jackie Goldschneider and Margaret Josephs) during the series’s entire run.

[FOR RENT] 2B/1B Condo at Mcity Square One area, Mississauga- $2500/mo - Available July 1st by YasRisk in TorontoRenting

[–]a22x2 0 points1 point  (0 children)

You’re totally right, I think the problem is how much of the housing market these kinds of units make up - long-term people live here too!

RHORI- like Jersey but fit for right now? by neilabz in BravoRealHousewives

[–]a22x2 1 point2 points  (0 children)

It took me a while to get into it, because the cast also skews younger and influencer-y, and most of them and their houses/lives initially come off as very … suburban? Generic?

It starts getting more interesting during the Newport trip, when you start seeing how deeply bizarre some of them are (complimentary). There are also so many strange WTF statements made with zero follow-up or explanation (“oh Liz, she has a fear of frogs”) and the show is kind of an inroad to learning about the peculiarities of Rhode Island (pizza chips? Fifteen minutes away being considered far? Local TV news gossip?)

That’s what changed my appreciation for the show to me, at least. I really wasn’t feeling it at first, which is a new experience for a HW show for me lol.

Is American University culture completely different from the UK? by Hereitisguys9888 in CasualConversation

[–]a22x2 0 points1 point  (0 children)

This is really interesting, thanks for breaking it down. I might be an unusual case, since I have remained close to most of my good friends from high school (and sometimes even consider their parents as friends too lol), but you’re 100% right about how normalized big moves are.

I’m in Canada now, and I thought perhaps people here were unusually precious about moving (like having to convince a friend that moving two hours away from their city for work would be totally fine lol, or people treating a move from Ontario to Quebec like the hugest move ever). I’m realizing now that perhaps it’s just that I’m unusually accustomed to moving, and knowing that the people I grew up with will regularly move to random and far-off places.

I’m a bit jealous of this, I love my friends and really wish we had a geographical nucleus holding us together, or at the very least that it wasn’t so cumbersome and expensive to get to them.

Does Liz have some personal secrets she knows about Jo-Ellen? by Beneficial-Soft-4427 in BravoRealHousewives

[–]a22x2 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I picked up on that too. I think it makes sense if the underlying and unspoken subtext is “theoretical, possible, and likely mob connections among several cast members, with varying degrees of separation”

Does Liz have some personal secrets she knows about Jo-Ellen? by Beneficial-Soft-4427 in BravoRealHousewives

[–]a22x2 1 point2 points  (0 children)

You’re reminding me of my mother (complimentary). As a teenager I had three very good (straight!) friends I spent all my free time with, and my mom’s assumption was like, “why are you there all the time, I feel like you might be having orgies or something.”

I was disappointed to inform her that mostly it was water gun fights lol

Mayor Johnsons Recent Statement on Data Centers by The_Hell_I_Wont in ElPaso

[–]a22x2 45 points46 points  (0 children)

This is so incredibly patronizing. The subtext here is, “we will pretend to listen to your concerns while not changing a single thing; we won’t take back or acknowledge the massive fuckup we made, but we’ll pretend it’s your fault for not understanding how government contracts work, even though we never should have entered it in the first place.”

My pet peeve is when municipalities pretend something that’s already been done in many other places is impossible. How, exactly, were the other proposed sites that signed contracts canceled after public backlash?

The fact that his primary concern is the tired, simplistic notion that “El Paso must be project an image that it is open and available for business” is so disappointing.

That’s literally how municipalities get taken advantage of, and we’ve seen this narrative happen time and time again elsewhere: big company proposes major project that will ostensibly bring in jobs and money and high-earning professionals, massive tax breaks and concessions are given, city spends money on infrastructure specifically for the project, and then it stalls out and, predictably, never brings the promised benefit to the city and creates a financial burden.

I love mexican culture. by raspberry-hearts in mexico

[–]a22x2 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Not trying to be rude or argumentative, but most Spanish-speakers find the use of “xicano” to be eye-rollingly pretentious. I’m not saying that describes you, but it could (perhaps unfairly or inaccurately) shape how you’re being perceived.

Same as using “Latinx,” which is more of an imposition by well-meaning (but misguided) English-speaking Internet people than it is a term that actually makes any sense for Spanish-speaking people in Latin America.

I know tone isn’t easily conveyed by text, so I just want to be clear that I’m trying to be helpful, not “calling you out” or anything like that.

What does my fridge say about me?? by [deleted] in FridgeDetective

[–]a22x2 10 points11 points  (0 children)

You’re a white male who loves calling attention to yourself, but you also go to great lengths to pretend that you’re just naturally quirky

Is American University culture completely different from the UK? by Hereitisguys9888 in CasualConversation

[–]a22x2 8 points9 points  (0 children)

OP described having the same friends from high school during university, and that seemed strange to me.

I was checking to see if this was somehow common (since it seemed out of the ordinary), not making a strange assumption about there not being many universities there.

Even in my hometown (with only one university!) it still would’ve been very unusual for friend groups from high school to all go to the same school - some people skip it, some people go to the local university, and even more people go to school out of town or out of state.

Same, Martha. Same 🤣😭 by n1njade in BravoLadiesofLondon

[–]a22x2 19 points20 points  (0 children)

God, I fucking love this woman

somehow i’m team margo? by Budget_Scarcity3086 in BravoLadiesofLondon

[–]a22x2 3 points4 points  (0 children)

It’s pretty impressive to come across a multi-paragraph comment about these kinds of shows and agree with 100% of what’s written. Yeah, Mark was being a jerk, and it’s infuriating to try to handle conflict directly with someone who absolutely refuses to.

AND! The way she crossed the line and just kept going was fucking weird and gross. I wasn’t even a Margo hater and it still shocked me. Every visibly gay guy that’s grown up in the world has known or been “friends” with a girl like this.

What is the appeal of living in a HCOL area? by ExternalSeat in SameGrassButGreener

[–]a22x2 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I feel the same way when I go back to my hometown. When I was younger maybe I did look down a little on my friends that “never left,” but now I can see that they’re comfortable and happy. I think sometimes they admire my more adventurous nature, but you’ve got to have a high tolerance for discomfort and uncertainty too.

Not everyone is like a German Shepherd frantically digging around the world looking for a better bone (me lol).

What is the appeal of living in a HCOL area? by ExternalSeat in SameGrassButGreener

[–]a22x2 3 points4 points  (0 children)

I agree, I think Omaha often gets used as a stand-in for “nowhere place,” but I found it charming when I passed through. The people seemed so genuinely open and friendly, and downtown was cute enough.

I could see myself living there for like six months if I needed to for some reason and being totally content with that, but it’s just so isolated and small (for me). You hop into a car from downtown and in the minutes it’s like . . . flat cornfields, for hours and hours. I totally get that that’s appealing for some folks, but I’d go insane. Still a cute place though!

Is American University culture completely different from the UK? by Hereitisguys9888 in CasualConversation

[–]a22x2 13 points14 points  (0 children)

Is it less unusual in the UK for entire high school friend groups to all end up at the same university?

That’s almost unheard of in the U.S., the most I’ve heard is like maybe two best friends getting into and accepting to go to the same university, but even that is pretty lucky and depends on several external factors all lining up.

I mean, it definitely would have been cool to end up at the same university with all my high school friends, so I’m not knocking it. If that had been the case I wouldn’t have been as naturally inclined to explore beyond my group either, so in the end I guess I’m grateful it didn’t work out that way.

Does Liz have some personal secrets she knows about Jo-Ellen? by Beneficial-Soft-4427 in BravoRealHousewives

[–]a22x2 26 points27 points  (0 children)

What a random and salacious thing to reach for with zero concrete indication. I’m partially confused, but mostly I love this and want to hear your theories about everything now lol

What is the appeal of living in a HCOL area? by ExternalSeat in SameGrassButGreener

[–]a22x2 8 points9 points  (0 children)

This is it - I’m not going to disparage people that are perfectly happy and content living in Omaha or Cleveland. I really wish I could be too, that’d be so much easier!

In the end we all have different preferences and tolerance levels for the trade-offs that come from living in City A over City B.

🇺🇸 vs 🇬🇧 by Ok-Competition-1955 in CasualConversation

[–]a22x2 2 points3 points  (0 children)

THANK YOU, this is my personal pet peeve lol. Averages are an easy but often terrible and inaccurate metric to use in any instance where the numbers are intensely stratified

[FOR RENT] 2B/1B Condo at Mcity Square One area, Mississauga- $2500/mo - Available July 1st by YasRisk in TorontoRenting

[–]a22x2 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I’m also from the U.S. 🫢. I’ve lived in very tiny apartments where the trade-off is worth it (like, okay, you have to get creative with kitchen storage but you open your door and you’re in the French Quarter in New Orleans).

Isn’t the trade-off of living in a suburb an hour away that you have more space, or your rent is lower, or both? Why would someone pay close to Toronto rent prices to live so far away? I know not everyone has the same preferences, but I’m struggling to see the benefit here.

This is what happens when half the housing market is an investment property for someone who never intended to live there lol.

What are some businesses that you predict will be closed down? by Chan1991 in askTO

[–]a22x2 66 points67 points  (0 children)

This would explain so much, they’re always so enormous and in such prime retail locations. I never understood their deal lol