Kamala Harris

[BayernMan]

 

[FogBlueInSanFran]

Been there twice. Once in ‘99 with a girlfriend who was working as a journalist in Vancouver. We spent the weekend there and then went back to British Columbia. Loved it. Loved its energy and its nightlife.

Second time on my honeymoon (not with the foregoing girlfriend!)just after we’d traversed the Big Sur. Ate and drank really well. It was late November 2008, and Obama had been elected a few days before. There was a good vide going round.

When thinking about the US cities I have loved (e.g. Boston, Chicago, Philly, Nashville) I sometimes overlook SF. And that’s wrong. Based on my memories, it’s a truly wonderful and interesting city.

I can do a whole ranking if you like :)

I love all those too save Philly (my wife's from there; that's probably influenced me!). I've lots of friends in Boston (rabid, lunatic sports town also) and Nashville is really, really fun. I personally really love Washington DC.

I can tell you the rumors of SF's demise are also greatly exaggerated, though its been slower to get on its feet since COVID.

I believe a certain other regular poster in these forums will agree with me that -- hands down, not remotely close -- the most underrated town in the USA is Pittsburgh.

 

[The Future’s Blue!]

So I decided to do a bit of reading, 36 pages in fact, on this DEI council. Because from your description it sounded pretty awful. Proper woke stuff!

A few examples of some of the action plans this DEI council is implementing:
> making sure government documentation is sufficiently accessible for blind people
> improving consultation with disenfranchised communities, including lower socioeconomic/working class groups, to gather feedback on how government policy would impact their community
> streamlining administration and demystifying business procurement to reduce costs and ensure the government can benefit from more small and medium business owners
> improve communication across government departments to share best practice on things like recruitment, and building practical anti-racism policies and procedures.

Horrendous! This guy should be ashamed. The whole policy document doesn’t mention trans people once!

It’s amazing what happens when you read. Opens up a whole new world of understanding.

Are you saying that people have been taken in by the lies of disinformation, and spread it as truth because they have been so gullible and thought nobody would check?

 

[Vienna_70]

Well, the excitement being "palatable" isn't exactly the start I was hoping for but . . .

Yeah, I noticed that too.

 

[somapop]

I can do a whole ranking if you like :)

I love all those too save Philly (my wife's from there; that's probably influenced me!). I've lots of friends in Boston (rabid, lunatic sports town also) and Nashville is really, really fun. I personally really love Washington DC.

I can tell you the rumors of SF's demise are also greatly exaggerated, though its been slower to get on its feet since COVID.

I believe a certain other regular poster in these forums will agree with me that -- hands down, not remotely close -- the most underrated town in the USA is Pittsburgh.

That's great to hear.
I know I've mentioned several times I've been to SF twice back in my 20's. First alone (staying with a distance friend of the family) over in Lake Merritt, Oakland (but travelling by BART to SF every day) then with my then girlfriend at the time (subsequently mother to my children then subsequently my ex!).

Such strong memories and the utterly charming hospitality of the Mad Dog in the Fog in Lower Haight and Vesuvio Cafe in Northbeach still resonate (I've not had that experience anywhere else in the world).
Hope they're both still open (this was back in the mid 90s).

Would love to go back and may plan something for next year (then again, I've still not done NY....or the mid west as I'd love to do).

 

[FogBlueInSanFran]

That's great to hear.
I know I've mentioned several times I've been to SF twice back in my 20's. First alone (staying with a distance friend of the family) over in Lake Merritt, Oakland (but travelling by BART to SF every day) then with my then girlfriend at the time (subsequently mother to my children then subsequently my ex!).

Such strong memories and the utterly charming hospitality of the Mad Dog in the Fog in Lower Haight and Vesuvio Cafe in Northbeach still resonate (I've not had that experience anywhere else in the world).
Hope they're both still open (this was back in the mid 90s).

Would love to go back and may plan something for next year (then again, I've still not done NY....or the mid west as I'd love to do).

Mad Dog closed during COVID, but then happily moved to a new location a few years later, and is still around.

And I drive by Vesuvio Cafe every day on my commute home!

 

[moomba]

For a bloke that just failed a job interview, Shapiro can give a hell of a good talk.

 

[SkyBlueFlux]

Are you saying that people have been taken in by the lies of disinformation, and spread it as truth because they have been so gullible and thought nobody would check?

I may be (politely) suggesting that being angry about an initialism is… well… it’s a little silly really!

DEI doesn’t actually mean anything by itself. As a disabled member of the workforce I’ve been party to absolutely loads of accessibility and diversity committees. Some are great and forces for genuine good, some are shit. Such is life.

I actually set up a colleague network in one of the banks I worked for which I believe is still in existence over 10 years later. I created it to support people with disabilities, caring needs and mental health problems. Do you know why I set it up? I was doing a tour of the call centre one day and I came across a blind man working there (he’d gone blind recently during his employment due to an illness). The IT team had told him that they couldn’t install a simple screen reader on one of his systems, so he had to ask a colleague to verbally read stuff out to him when he needed information. I thought it was honestly disgraceful that this poor bloke was being made to feel like a burden and was being hindered in his work because they wouldn’t do something so simple. I went to one of the executives that week to get it fixed and get a sponsor for the committee.

So you see, these things often exist to solve very practical problems in people’s every day lives. Do some companies just set them up to pay lip service to staff in a cynical virtue signalling way to look like they’re doing something good? Of course. Which is why it is super important to actually look at the details of what is actually being done, and not get so hung up over slogans, acronyms and branding from which you can usually determine very little.

 

[The Future’s Blue!]

For a bloke that just failed a job interview, Shapiro can give a hell of a good talk.

Shapiro is well onside, as was said by one of his aids. What was said?

 

[somapop]

Mad Dog closed during COVID, but then happily moved to a new location a few years later, and is still around.

And I drive by Vesuvio Cafe every day on my commute home!

Oh my.
That's some commute.
The guy who ran that bar at the time was called John (and had visited Manchester a few times as he had a friend in Bolton of all places). Remember the 2nd visit (with my ex) and wouldn't let us pay for a single drink. Unreal.
Always wonder what happened to him.

I felt like a king travelling over there in my early 20's on my first visit. After Oakland I extended my stay and spent another two weeks in a local YMCA just off Union Square.

Remember walking down Columbus Avenue arm in arm with two gorgeous, blonde Irish girls, one of which kindly donated an old fashioned 'snog'.
I also managed to grab a date with this amazing American girl who worked on the desk at the youth hostel.

I don't think I've ever recreated that high to this day. Today me looks back at then me and wonders how the fuck a shy lad pulled all that off (alcohol probs).

Might get some traction and take my kids over next year. A Trumpless USA looks so much more positive.

 

[moomba]

Shapiro is well onside, as was said by one of his aids. What was said?

Nothing that you wouldn't expect. But he's a showman, and he presents himself really well. Expect we'll see a fair bit of him over the rest of the campaign.

 

[BayernMan]

Love the energy.

 

[FogBlueInSanFran]

Oh my.
That's some commute.
The guy who ran that bar at the time was called John (and had visited Manchester a few times as he had a friend in Bolton of all places). Remember the 2nd visit (with my ex) and wouldn't let us pay for a single drink. Unreal.
Always wonder what happened to him.

I felt like a king travelling over there in my early 20's on my first visit. After Oakland I extended my stay and spent another two weeks in a local YMCA just off Union Square.

Remember walking down Columbus Avenue arm in arm with two gorgeous, blonde Irish girls, one of which kindly donated an old fashioned 'snog'.
I also managed to grab a date with this amazing American girl who worked on the desk at the youth hostel.

I don't think I've ever recreated that high to this day. Today me looks back at then me and wonders how the fuck a shy lad pulled all that off (alcohol probs).

Might get some traction and take my kids over next year. A Trumpless USA looks so much more positive.

You come here, we're going drinking, mate.

Funny in my youth I never quite managed such a feat as you! But then again I'm not English. Though a college girlfriend was Irish. But I only had one, not two at once!

 

[somapop]

You come here, we're going drinking, mate.

Funny in my youth I never quite managed such a feat as you! But then again I'm not English. Though a college girlfriend was Irish. But I only had one, not two at once!

Haha. Deal.

I was ultra shy as a kid. Struggled big time around girls. But I always hooked up with this girl at parties when I was around 15. Couple of drinks in and we'd lock in for the duration of the evening: outside of them I could barely make eye contact so they never went any further.

Probably why today I'll never diss alcohol too much despite it's nefarious, potent qualities at times.
After the split with my ex 6 years ago or so, I've pretty much remained single, bar a few flings and short stints. The admin all seems too much and my peace is in abundance.
But I do love the company of women so who knows....

Jeez....apologies, I've taken this thread on a merry Walz. Yay Harris!

 

[BayernMan]

We’re still months away but the momentum is strong…

 

[TonyM]

Haha. Deal.

I was ultra shy as a kid. Struggled big time around girls. But I always hooked up with this girl at parties when I was around 15. Couple of drinks in and we'd lock in for the duration of the evening: outside of them I could barely make eye contact so they never went any further.

Probably why today I'll never diss alcohol too much despite it's nefarious, potent qualities at times.
After the split with my ex 6 years ago or so, I've pretty much remained single, bar a few flings and short stints. The admin all seems too much and my peace is in abundance.
But I do love the company of women so who knows....

Jeez....apologies, I've taken this thread on a merry Walz. Yay Harris!

Four more years!!!

 

[TonyM]

Four more years!!!

(Not sure I know what that means but it sounded funny in my head)

 

[FogBlueInSanFran]

I may be (politely) suggesting that being angry about an initialism is… well… it’s a little silly really!

DEI doesn’t actually mean anything by itself. As a disabled member of the workforce I’ve been party to absolutely loads of accessibility and diversity committees. Some are great and forces for genuine good, some are shit. Such is life.

I actually set up a colleague network in one of the banks I worked for which I believe is still in existence over 10 years later. I created it to support people with disabilities, caring needs and mental health problems. Do you know why I set it up? I was doing a tour of the call centre one day and I came across a blind man working there (he’d gone blind recently during his employment due to an illness). The IT team had told him that they couldn’t install a simple screen reader on one of his systems, so he had to ask a colleague to verbally read stuff out to him when he needed information. I thought it was honestly disgraceful that this poor bloke was being made to feel like a burden and was being hindered in his work because they wouldn’t do something so simple. I went to one of the executives that week to get it fixed and get a sponsor for the committee.

So you see, these things often exist to solve very practical problems in people’s every day lives. Do some companies just set them up to pay lip service to staff in a cynical virtue signalling way to look like they’re doing something good? Of course. Which is why it is super important to actually look at the details of what is actually being done, and not get so hung up over slogans, acronyms and branding from which you can usually determine very little.

The Diversity Bonus by Scott Page is a really good read. Some years ago I too was skeptical of DEI initiatives, I am sure in part because as a well-off white guy with a pretty good voice I was afraid of having it shunted in favo(u)r of other, less experienced voices.

But as part of a non-profit I was involved in, I read this book at it made some really good mathematical arguments in favo(u)r of how diverse voices lead to better results/outcomes/decision-making in knowledge-based businesses and services (albeit not normally in rote manufacturing settings).

That's not to say such efforts/initiatives aren't sometimes mismangaged or ham-handed -- like everything else, they can be -- but it changed my structural view on how effective they can be.

 

[The Future’s Blue!]

Fucking hell, I’m not into this American shit and have never seen Harris in action, but wow, no wonder the MAGA should be worried.

I can see the real Republicans stepping back and re-evaluating their position as they know this may be a generational change.

Very American, but very real.

 

[The Future’s Blue!]

I’m very much with our American friends.