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Post by Arlon10 on Aug 17, 2018 9:58:02 GMT
Different people think different things are beautiful of course, but a city I think is among the nicest of the many I have visited is Midwest City, Oklahoma. It is modern, and that can be disappointing to some people, including me, who prefer more classic styles, but it is modern in what I consider a very agreeable and sophisticated way. The designs are really smart, not pretentious.
The buildings and the streets are clean and in good repair. The signs are not missing any letters.
The people are happy. I suppose when they have deaths in their families, as any families eventually must, they grieve like anyone else, but they do that mostly at home or in semiprivate groups. The people in public places are mostly happy. They are happy to see you even if you're a stranger and happy to talk to you. They are knowledgeable of the events of the day in various parts of the wide world and articulate about them. They are not afraid to talk to you. It might be that they are not afraid of anything.
Many of the people of Midwest City work at the large Air Force base the city borders. Many of them are civilians as the base employs a significant number of civilians. Most of the people, civilian and military, are good at some productive activity. They are good at following the flow of society. Many of them are especially good at following orders.
I did not live in Midwest City. I lived in Del City. It borders Midwest City. Del City is very much like Midwest City in many ways. Both cities border Oklahoma City and are part of that large "metropolitan area." People can receive their mail even if it is addressed to them in "Oklahoma City." Del City High School and Midwest City High School have the exact same floor plan for most of those buildings. Some additions have been made to each school that are not the same. Del City has much larger churches and several of those.
There is no racial tension. Football is almost like a religion in most of the midwestern United States. Football has a good record of giving good positions to people whether they are white or black. It's all the more sad then how football is getting split up over racial issues lately in other areas. Oklahoma has no NFL team and far more concentrated on high school and college (OU Sooners, OSU Cowboys) football than on the Dallas Cowboys.
The way of living is one that most people would consider ideal and want to spread to the rest of the country. I suppose Trump supporters want the whole country to be like that. It does appear however that they will have great difficulty making all of America that great.
Too many Americans across the country have lost the arts that made midwestern cities such ideal places to live. Their understanding of religion is shallow and distorted. Their knowledge of science is misguided. The conflict between science and religion that does not really exist at the higher levels of academia has infected the country with a hopeless lack of direction and purpose. Trump supporters are not at the higher levels of academia. Of course many people in high school understand the problems and are sufficiently apprised of both religion and science to work things out, but they are not yet in charge.
I suspect the main problem with Trump supporters is that they are trying to change the law first and the hearts and minds of the people afterwards or not at all. They are too forceful and not articulate enough. They are the people who follow orders themselves and expect you to follow them, but don't really understand them enough to persuade you. I suspect it will require more articulate consideration of social problems to change the hearts and minds first then the law will change with no effort. No change however is going to happen if a civil debate does not begin. Rallies will be ineffective without civil debate accomplishing something first. There are debates conservatives could easily win in science if only they had a basic understanding of science.
It was not my intention that Donald Trump be elected president. I suspect it will be a mark against a certain type of conservative to have tried the wrong approach to persuasion. It will be a bad mark for a long time to come. I wish there was something I could do to help. I don't see anything right now that would be any help, only make matters worse.
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Post by progressiveelement on Aug 17, 2018 10:15:40 GMT
Where the spirit flies high.
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Post by koskiewicz on Aug 18, 2018 16:36:30 GMT
...in no order:
Barcelona
Stavanger
Athens
Paris
Bruges
Vienna
Cracow
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Post by Deleted on Aug 18, 2018 17:00:30 GMT
Random order
Saint Petersburg (Russia)
Athens (Greece)
Geneva (Switzerland)
Bordeaux (France)
Budapest (Hungary)
Vienna (Austria)
Prague (Czech Republic)
York (United Kingdom)
Berlin (Germany)
Rome (Italy)
Florence (Italy)
Lisbon (Portugal)
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Post by Arlon10 on Aug 18, 2018 18:22:17 GMT
...in no order: Barcelona Stavanger Athens Paris Bruges Vienna Cracow Neither Del City nor Midwest City has any shorelines, beautiful or otherwise. The "North Canadian River" through Oklahoma City is usually totally dry, obviously not in Canada or very far north either  . Yet there are bridges over it, which helps when the river bed gets damp I suppose. Truthfully it can flow when there is an unusually huge rain. There is a respectably sized lake with fishing a little south of Midwest City. The state of Oklahoma is on the border of the "desert southwest." If you divide the state in half diagonally, the northeast half is green, more so toward the northeast corner. The southwest half is desert, more so toward the southwest corner. Oklahoma City and the metropolitan area including Del City and Midwest City is right on the border of those climate types. It has the same trees as the the northeastern parts and the same desert vegetation as the southwestern parts, all naturally as well as gardened. |
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Post by Arlon10 on Aug 19, 2018 4:30:55 GMT
Random orderSaint Petersburg (Russia) Athens (Greece) Geneva (Switzerland) Bordeaux (France) Budapest (Hungary) Vienna (Austria) Prague (Czech Republic) York (United Kingdom) Berlin (Germany) Rome (Italy) Florence (Italy) Lisbon (Portugal) Have you ever been to Midwest City? Are you curious now? |
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Post by Arlon10 on Aug 19, 2018 6:06:48 GMT
Random orderSaint Petersburg (Russia) Athens (Greece) Geneva (Switzerland) Bordeaux (France) Budapest (Hungary) Vienna (Austria) Prague (Czech Republic) York (United Kingdom) Berlin (Germany) Rome (Italy) Florence (Italy) Lisbon (Portugal) Interstate highways 35 and 40 intersect in Oklahoma City. I-40 runs from California to North Carolina and I-35 runs literally from the Mexican border to the Canadian border. That brings rather much traffic through Oklahoma City at least as variety of home and destination goes. The lower population of the state means that the I-35 / I-40 intersection is not as crowded as highways through much larger population centers, yet there are people from "far and wide" (across America anyway). There was a huge shopping mall called "Crossroads Mall" that opened in 1974. It was renamed "Plaza Mayor" and very recently closed. It was actually at the intersection of I-35 and I-240, a loop about 4 miles south of I-40. It was not the largest mall ever but is was 1,268,000 square feet and enclosed. There are several other shopping centers in the more or less immediate and surrounding area that have taken up its business. |
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Post by koskiewicz on Aug 19, 2018 18:58:45 GMT
...try Dubuque, Iowa, if you want a truly exceptional American city...
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Post by The Herald Erjen on Aug 19, 2018 19:31:40 GMT
This is what I thought of when I saw the thread title:  |
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Post by Arlon10 on Aug 19, 2018 20:08:15 GMT
...try Dubuque, Iowa, if you want a truly exceptional American city... Many cities in the Midwest have a similar "bucolic" (in the good sense of that word, pastoral), even idyllic setting. |
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Post by Deleted on Aug 19, 2018 20:29:54 GMT
Random orderSaint Petersburg (Russia) Athens (Greece) Geneva (Switzerland) Bordeaux (France) Budapest (Hungary) Vienna (Austria) Prague (Czech Republic) York (United Kingdom) Berlin (Germany) Rome (Italy) Florence (Italy) Lisbon (Portugal) Have you ever been to Midwest City? Are you curious now? No i have never been and no not really. |
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Post by Arlon10 on Aug 19, 2018 20:50:17 GMT
Have you ever been to Midwest City? Are you curious now? No i have never been and no not really. I have to admit it's not everyone's cup of tea. I'm sure they'll find some way to get along with or without you. |
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Post by Aj_June on Aug 19, 2018 21:09:44 GMT
What should an ideal city be like?
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Post by Arlon10 on Aug 19, 2018 21:32:04 GMT
What should an ideal city be like? That's a matter of varied opinion of course. There is no one definition of it. Many people like the "peaceful" quality of pastoral life. Self sufficiency has its benefits. What would you consider ideal? |
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Post by Aj_June on Aug 19, 2018 22:01:53 GMT
What should an ideal city be like? That's a matter of varied opinion of course. There is no one definition of it. Many people like the "peaceful" quality of pastoral life. Self sufficiency has its benefits. What would you consider ideal? While I would very much like to visit beautiful cities like Vienna and Lucerne, I am not sure if I consider those the most ideal cities. The ideal city for me would be the seat of Knowledge and learning.
I believe the best city I have ever been to is Cambridge, England. There was a charm about Cambridge that I have never felt anywhere else. It's a university city so mostly we saw college buildings and students but there was a peace and tranquillity in Cambridge that you don't associate with in most places.
I come from a province in India that was termed "Jungle RaJ" in the 90s. Jungle Raj means where the rule is of anarchy. I was born in a crime riddled city. But way back in time it was a great place. A city that facilitated the enlightenment of Gautama Buddha who went on to spread his light across 1/3d of the world. Still today countries like China, Japan, Korea etc. follow Buddha's way of life. So irrespective of all my city is immortal in history.
I believe even if not clean and hygienic from western standards, a city like Varanasi has much to offer to humanity. In between the snake charmers and the foreign tourists and holy/polluted dirty Ganges the city of Varanasi has to offer a lot to humanity. I have never been to Varanasi but I have heard accounts of it from my relatives and friends.
I had once received offer to study at College of William & Mary in Virginia. I believe you live there. I would consider Williamsburg a good place to live.
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Post by lowtacks86 on Aug 19, 2018 22:15:05 GMT
That's a matter of varied opinion of course. There is no one definition of it. Many people like the "peaceful" quality of pastoral life. Self sufficiency has its benefits. What would you consider ideal? While I would very much like to visit beautiful cities like Vienna and Lucerne, I am not sure if I consider those the most ideal cities. The ideal city for me would be the seat of Knowledge and learning.
I believe the best city I have ever been to is Cambridge, England. There was a charm about Cambridge that I have never felt anywhere else. It's a university city so mostly we saw college buildings and students but there was a peace and tranquillity in Cambridge that you don't associate with in most places.
I come from a province in India that was termed "Jungle RaJ" in the 90s. Jungle Raj means where the rule is of anarchy. I was born in a crime riddled city. But way back in time it was a great place. A city that facilitated the enlightenment of Gautama Buddha who went on to spread his light across 1/3d of the world. Still today countries like China, Japan, Korea etc. follow Buddha's way of life. So irrespective of all my city is immortal in history.
I believe even if not clean and hygienic from western standards, a city like Varanasi has much to offer to humanity. In between the snake charmers and the foreign tourists and holy/polluted dirty Ganges the city of Varanasi has to offer a lot to humanity. I have never been to Varanasi but I have heard accounts of it from my relatives and friends.
I had once received offer to study at College of William & Mary in Virginia. I believe you live there. I would consider Williamsburg a good place to live.
"The ideal city for me would be the seat of Knowledge and learning."
New York?
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Post by Aj_June on Aug 19, 2018 22:36:18 GMT
While I would very much like to visit beautiful cities like Vienna and Lucerne, I am not sure if I consider those the most ideal cities. The ideal city for me would be the seat of Knowledge and learning.
I believe the best city I have ever been to is Cambridge, England. There was a charm about Cambridge that I have never felt anywhere else. It's a university city so mostly we saw college buildings and students but there was a peace and tranquillity in Cambridge that you don't associate with in most places.
I come from a province in India that was termed "Jungle RaJ" in the 90s. Jungle Raj means where the rule is of anarchy. I was born in a crime riddled city. But way back in time it was a great place. A city that facilitated the enlightenment of Gautama Buddha who went on to spread his light across 1/3d of the world. Still today countries like China, Japan, Korea etc. follow Buddha's way of life. So irrespective of all my city is immortal in history.
I believe even if not clean and hygienic from western standards, a city like Varanasi has much to offer to humanity. In between the snake charmers and the foreign tourists and holy/polluted dirty Ganges the city of Varanasi has to offer a lot to humanity. I have never been to Varanasi but I have heard accounts of it from my relatives and friends.
I had once received offer to study at College of William & Mary in Virginia. I believe you live there. I would consider Williamsburg a good place to live.
"The ideal city for me would be the seat of Knowledge and learning."
New York?
I have often called New York the greatest city in the world. Two of the biggest stock exchanges in world are located in New York. The activities that take place in New York have a huge impact all through the world. But the impact may be both positive and negative. For that reason I consider it the greatest but not the most ideal. A few days ago I successfully completed level 1 of CFA Exam. As a person who is determined to be a charter holder in Finance I believe New York is my ideal professional destination and I would definitely be in that city in two or three years time. But don't think I will remain there for long. It's just the passion of my field of work that would drive me to New York. But as soon as I will have experienced it I would lose interest in the place. I believe a city like Cambridge would always remain a more ideal and liveable place for me in the long term. I do not know any American equivalent of Cambridge or Oxford. But I am sure there would be such cities in US.
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Post by Arlon10 on Aug 19, 2018 22:44:36 GMT
That's a matter of varied opinion of course. There is no one definition of it. Many people like the "peaceful" quality of pastoral life. Self sufficiency has its benefits. What would you consider ideal? While I would very much like to visit beautiful cities like Vienna and Lucerne, I am not sure if I consider those the most ideal cities. The ideal city for me would be the seat of Knowledge and learning.
I believe the best city I have ever been to is Cambridge, England. There was a charm about Cambridge that I have never felt anywhere else. It's a university city so mostly we saw college buildings and students but there was a peace and tranquillity in Cambridge that you don't associate with in most places.
I come from a province in India that was termed "Jungle RaJ" in the 90s. Jungle Raj means where the rule is of anarchy. I was born in a crime riddled city. But way back in time it was a great place. A city that facilitated the enlightenment of Gautama Buddha who went on to spread his light across 1/3d of the world. Still today countries like China, Japan, Korea etc. follow Buddha's way of life. So irrespective of all my city is immortal in history.
I believe even if not clean and hygienic from western standards, a city like Varanasi has much to offer to humanity. In between the snake charmers and the foreign tourists and holy/polluted dirty Ganges the city of Varanasi has to offer a lot to humanity. I have never been to Varanasi but I have heard accounts of it from my relatives and friends.
I had once received offer to study at College of William & Mary in Virginia. I believe you live there. I would consider Williamsburg a good place to live.
Almost any college town can be a great center of intellectual activity. Oklahoma University is 20 miles south of OKC (OKC = Oklahoma City) in Norman, Oklahoma. It has a complete law school and a complete medical school and a highly rated football team. It is a source of wonder to many how it can have all that at the same time. (There are a lot of jokes.) I've already mentioned on the old board how it was one base to a project to study teaching human sign language to chimpanzees. Google "Washoe." Williamsburg, Virginia, in addition to the College of W&M has a tourist attraction called "Colonial Williamsburg" where the arts of colonial times are still performed the way they were in those days. You can watch blacksmiths and wainwrights and almost everything else. Some of the people who work at the tourist attraction are associated with the College of W&M. Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond is known for its Communications School (mine) and its extensive arts programs (basically painting and sculpting, but much more). Our basketball team got to the Final Four in 2011. |
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Post by lowtacks86 on Aug 19, 2018 22:44:57 GMT
"The ideal city for me would be the seat of Knowledge and learning."
New York?
I have often called New York the greatest city in the world. Two of the biggest stock exchanges in world are located in New York. The activities that take place in New York have a huge impact all through the world. But the impact may be both positive and negative. For that reason I consider it the greatest but not the most ideal. A few days ago I successfully completed level 1 of CFA Exam. As a person who is determined to be a charter holder in Finance I believe New York is my ideal professional destination and I would definitely be in that city in two or three years time. But don't think I will remain there for long. It's just the passion of my field of work that would drive me to New York. But as soon as I will have experienced it I would lose interest in the place. I believe a city like Cambridge would always remain a more ideal and liveable place for me in the long term. I do not know any American equivalent of Cambridge or Oxford. But I am sure there would be such cities in US.
The closest I can think of to an "American Cambridge" would probably be either New York or San Francisco/Bay Area, particularly Berkley and Manhattan. |
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Post by Aj_June on Aug 19, 2018 22:52:42 GMT
I have often called New York the greatest city in the world. Two of the biggest stock exchanges in world are located in New York. The activities that take place in New York have a huge impact all through the world. But the impact may be both positive and negative. For that reason I consider it the greatest but not the most ideal. A few days ago I successfully completed level 1 of CFA Exam. As a person who is determined to be a charter holder in Finance I believe New York is my ideal professional destination and I would definitely be in that city in two or three years time. But don't think I will remain there for long. It's just the passion of my field of work that would drive me to New York. But as soon as I will have experienced it I would lose interest in the place. I believe a city like Cambridge would always remain a more ideal and liveable place for me in the long term. I do not know any American equivalent of Cambridge or Oxford. But I am sure there would be such cities in US.
The closest I can think of to an "American Cambridge" would probably be either New York or San Francisco/Bay Area, particularly Berkley. I think Berkley may be very close to Cambridge. New York has many things in addition to what Cambridge has. Things that make it financial capital of the world. It's sheer size and all that.
Boston I believe has two awesome universities. Though I am not sure what kind of atmosphere you have in Boston. People usually have divided opinion on its famous sports teams.
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