OT- More WNY Love - Rochester/Buffalo both ranked top 6 in most affordable cities in the world

[Pimlach]

15 hours ago, Weave said:

They should be.  I don’t want the teacher that $50-70k buys.

While I  agree with paying teachers more money to attract and retain better teachers, when I reflect on my school days,  many of my favorite and more influential teachers were indeed the youngers ones.   Not all of them, but certainly a lot of them stand out as I look back in time.   These younger teachers were also the lower paid ones given the salary structure of NYS public schools, which favors time in the job and tenure.  

Public school teacher's pay is largely driven by time in the job, and not necessarily by their in class performance, or the standardized testing of their students.   In the classroom the teachers energy, and passion for the subject, and their ability to stay current, is critical to good performance.  I don't know if any of the later is measured and evaluated.   

[Alaska John]

You have to factor in taxes to calculate affordability properly.  I've lived all over, ending up in Alaska up to two years ago.  When we decided to leave Alaska, I thought about moving back to WNY where I grew up.  The housing costs were very competitive but when you add in the property taxes and income taxes and sales taxes, suddenly it became unaffordable.  

It's too bad.  I always wanted to live in East Aurora when I was growing up in West Seneca, but I couldn't make the numbers work.

Edited June 19 by Alaska John

[JohnC]

2 hours ago, ... said:

It's not "some people" - it's "all people". It is how our brains work. All you are doing by saying "some people" is excusing and/or ignoring the same traits in cohorts you happen to agree with or believe are harmless. And by doing that you become the pot calling the kettle black.

Let's not water down or redefine what a conspiracy is. A conspiracy is a secret plan by a group to do something unlawful or harmful. By that definition and in accordance with history, we do indeed "live in a word of conspiracies..." because there are always criminals plotting and executing schemes.

What you are referring to is what the media frames as narratives that are disagreeable for whatever reason. As an example, a finance group might release a report saying the economy is approaching its worst levels in generations, and the opposition to the seated political administration will pick up the report and use it as to attack the sitting regime. The sitting regime will claim it's false, and, in an attempt to discredit the report, will label the report, those who made it, and those who use it as conspirators "using fake information" to attack them. The media runs with this language - honestly because many are hopelessly dumb, ego-laden sock puppets - and most people are none-the-wiser because of the cult-like tendencies of people to believe those who have, artificially or not, an elevated status.

Cult-like behavior is normal for humans despite the traditional American theme of individualism. Relatively few people are individuals and when you find one, they're often called crazy, mocked, ignored, and generally don't fit in with the rest of the herd/cult. The people held up as "individuals" are actually people used to shepherd the rest. Tattoos are a great example: tattoos are explained as some way of expressing individuality, but if you line up 20 people and 10 of them have tattoos all you will see are 10 people with tattoos and 10 people without and no individuals.

I say this respectfully that you and I are residing in two separate worlds. There is nothing unusual for people to have different perspectives and interpretations from a set of facts. The problem is that a large faction of people is unwilling or are incapable of acknowledging some things that are true. People are now gravitating to their own information silos. I have no problem with that other than some silos are more polluted with bad information than in prior times. The covid period was a challenging time because a significant segment of the population was unwilling to accept the recommendations of medical experts resulting in more deaths than necessary. It got to the point where a segment of the population was more receptive to crazy ideas such as the use of animal medicines as a treatment for infections. That's not only crazy but also sad because there were a lot of unnecessary deaths. 

[...]

5 minutes ago, JohnC said:

I say this respectfully that you and I are residing in two separate worlds. There is nothing unusual for people to have different perspectives and interpretations from a set of facts. The problem is that a large faction of people is unwilling or are incapable of acknowledging some things that are true. People are now gravitating to their own information silos. I have no problem with that other than some silos are more polluted with bad information than in prior times. The covid period was a challenging time because a significant segment of the population was unwilling to accept the recommendations of medical experts resulting in more deaths than necessary. It got to the point where a segment of the population was more receptive to crazy ideas such as the use of animal medicines as a treatment for infections. That's not only crazy but also sad because there were a lot of unnecessary deaths. 

You must be a CIA plant here to steer conversations away from themes and topics disapproved by the ruling class.

Your username makes complete sense now.

[JohnC]

13 minutes ago, ... said:

You must be a CIA plant here to steer conversations away from themes and topics disapproved by the ruling class.

Your username makes complete sense now.

We reside in different planets. That's okay. 

[That Aud Smell]

Where the hell’s matter gotten off to?

The eye candy around here sucks without him.

[...]

32 minutes ago, JohnC said:

We reside in different planets. That's okay. 

I have to ask that you respect my choice to live on the planet and not in it. I can not abide those Mole Men.

Edited June 19 by ...
CIA operater 34AD2-0F

[mjd1001]

8 hours ago, Pimlach said:

While I  agree with paying teachers more money to attract and retain better teachers, when I reflect on my school days,  many of my favorite and more influential teachers were indeed the youngers ones. 

This applies to many job, but paying anyone the most money to attract the best people doesn't always work.

Pay them too little and yes, qualified people will look elsewhere.

But you need a middle ground. In any profession, pay them 'a lot' (teachers, police, engineers, etc) and you end up getting people who don't do the job because they care for the professoin or have a love for it, but instead they get into the field just for the money.

Edited June 19 by mjd1001

[nfreeman]

Every once in a while a poster really goes off the deep end.

Usually, no one gets hurt.  But hoo boy the board has a long memory.  Chops will be busted in perpetuity.

[JoeSchmoe]

This thread is like a good movie... tons of subplots.

Teacher salaries, housing prices, culture wars, ocean temperatures, international conflict, and of course token sex appeal.

[matter2003]

On 6/18/2024 at 5:31 PM, That Aud Smell said:

Looking for a paragon of American exceptionalism? Look no further. And, ladies, worry not, as we have free panty liners on-hand to help manage that spontaneous moisture you’re experiencing.

There are serious, nuanced points that could be made about Americans’ struggles with obesity — the causes, the solutions (?), the struggles, etc.

But this is decidedly not a person with whom I’d venture to have that conversation.

Yeah, it's called take some pride in yourself and your appearance, eat real food that doesn't come in bags or boxes and contains one ingredient that you cook yourself, stop eating out at restaurants 3+ nights a week and pick up the water instead of the sugary drink or alcohol. Increase your step count. That's all the exercise you need to do...walking is an exceptional fat burner and the big muscles in your legs literally suck glucose out of the bloodstream even in the absence of insulin, so it can't get stored as fat.  It's really that simple. 

Maybe you don't want to have the conversation because you are one of the excuse makers. When you make it a priority, it suddenly becomes easy. 

It's simple, most people just don't want to do it, they want doctors to take care of their health instead of taking care of it themselves. People choose to look the way they do --- period, point blank.  Nothing nuanced about it. 

Edited June 20 by matter2003

[That Aud Smell]

26 minutes ago, matter2003 said:

Yeah, it's called take some pride in yourself and your appearance, eat real food that doesn't come in bags or boxes and contains one ingredient that you cook yourself, stop eating out at restaurants 3+ nights a week and pick up the water instead of the sugary drink or alcohol.  It's really that simple. 

Maybe you don't want to have the conversation because you are one of the excuse makers. When you make it a priority, it suddenly becomes easy. 

It's simple, most people just don't want to do it, they want doctors to take care of their health instead of taking care of it themselves. People choose to look the way they do --- period, point blank.  Nothing nuanced about it. 

Like I said: You're not a candidate for the conversation to which I alluded above.

I will, though, put this here and then try to leave it alone: My long-suffering, beloved wife and I do all of the things that you reference above (and, in fact, quite a bit more). Under the supervision of several registered dieticians (we've had different ones over the years), we've been doing those things consistently (and finding new and better things to do) for over a decade. While the lab panels have improved in a lot of ways (but stubbornly not in all ways), the visible results have been unimpressive (or even non-existent). It appears that we have an uphill climb, based on a combination of several factors. We are not unique. We are, in fact, two among 10s of millions of Americans who find themselves in similar situations (granted, we are probably among a smaller percentage of the cohort that is "doing all the right things"). This cohort of people is not comprised of slovenly moral failures, as you suggest (cruelly so, I'll add). For our part, we often find ourselves mystified and discouraged by how our corporal forms have seemingly defied and betrayed us. It appears that there's only so much that can be done. We'll keep at it, of course. We have each other, and much to look forward to. 

[Taro T]

4 minutes ago, That Aud Smell said:

Like I said: You're not a candidate for the conversation to which I alluded above.

I will, though, put this here and then try to leave it alone: My long-suffering, beloved wife and I do all of the things that you reference above (and, in fact, quite a bit more). Under the supervision of several registered dieticians (we've had different ones over the years), we've been doing those things consistently (and finding new and better things to do) for over a decade. While the lab panels have improved in a lot of ways (but stubbornly not in all ways), the visible results have been unimpressive (or even non-existent). It appears that we have an uphill climb, based on a combination of several factors. We are not unique. We are, in fact, two among 10s of millions of Americans who find themselves in similar situations (granted, we are probably among a smaller percentage of the cohort that is "doing all the right things"). This cohort of people is not comprised of slovenly moral failures, as you suggest (cruelly so, I'll add). For our part, we often find ourselves mystified and discouraged by how our corporal forms have seemingly defied and betrayed us. It appears that there's only so much that can be done. We'll keep at it, of course. We have each other, and much to look forward to. 

But have you ever strapped a 60# vest on and pulled a 200# sled around for 45 minutes ala Lloyd Bridges on Seinfeld?  Bet 'cha haven't, have ya?  Well, there you go.  Slackers.  😛

[matter2003]

2 hours ago, That Aud Smell said:

Like I said: You're not a candidate for the conversation to which I alluded above.

I will, though, put this here and then try to leave it alone: My long-suffering, beloved wife and I do all of the things that you reference above (and, in fact, quite a bit more). Under the supervision of several registered dieticians (we've had different ones over the years), we've been doing those things consistently (and finding new and better things to do) for over a decade. While the lab panels have improved in a lot of ways (but stubbornly not in all ways), the visible results have been unimpressive (or even non-existent). It appears that we have an uphill climb, based on a combination of several factors. We are not unique. We are, in fact, two among 10s of millions of Americans who find themselves in similar situations (granted, we are probably among a smaller percentage of the cohort that is "doing all the right things"). This cohort of people is not comprised of slovenly moral failures, as you suggest (cruelly so, I'll add). For our part, we often find ourselves mystified and discouraged by how our corporal forms have seemingly defied and betrayed us. It appears that there's only so much that can be done. We'll keep at it, of course. We have each other, and much to look forward to. 

This might be the best book you ever read.

https://lyngenet.com/the-plan-the-book/

May also want to look into an ALCAT test, that was pretty valuable for me.

Edited June 20 by matter2003

[That Aud Smell]

1 hour ago, Taro T said:

But have you ever strapped a 60# vest on and pulled a 200# sled around for 45 minutes ala Lloyd Bridges on Seinfeld?  Bet 'cha haven't, have ya?  Well, there you go.  Slackers.  😛

Mandelbaum! (Sp?)

[That Aud Smell]

15 hours ago, matter2003 said:

This might be the best book you ever read.

https://lyngenet.com/the-plan-the-book/

May also want to look into an ALCAT test, that was pretty valuable for me.

And, lo, from the scorched earth there emerged an olive branch.

Take it easy on the ladies’ necks, beefcake.

[JohnC]

2 hours ago, That Aud Smell said:

And, lo, from the scorched earth there emerged an olive branch.

Take it easy on the ladies’ necks, beefcake.

https://www.tiktok.com/discover/muscle-guy-walking-around-beach

[Night Train]

My wife has been teaching 34 years. 2 masters degrees. She deserves every penny she makes. Puts in long hours and has a box full of thank you letters for her efforts throughout her career. Loves her job to this day.

 I retired 7 years ago as a Network Adm. Worked my backside off in college and the military. My 2 adult daughters have good jobs . I sleep well at night. 

[That Aud Smell]

3 minutes ago, Night Train said:

My wife has been teaching 34 years. 2 masters degrees. She deserves every penny she makes. Puts in long hours and has a box full of thank you letters for her efforts throughout her career. Loves her job to this day.

I missed the flow of the chatter upthread about teachers. Put me in the camp of admiring the hell out of what those folks do and believing that most (or even nearly all) of them are underpaid for what they do.

[matter2003]

On 6/21/2024 at 6:32 AM, That Aud Smell said:

And, lo, from the scorched earth there emerged an olive branch.

Take it easy on the ladies’ necks, beefcake.

Considering you have been looking for solutions for decades and haven't found them, you might want to actually listen to someone who has dropped significant weight several times.  Or don't. No sweat off my back.  But there are very few dieticians that look like me and there are very few people in my kind of shape that have a better nutritional plan than I do.  People can go study all  they want, but if they don't actually put it into practice, how much can one really know? It would be like going to a surgeon who read about how to do surgery in books but never actually did it.

There are a plethora of resources online to do research on your own.  Effectively, the food being eaten on a daily basis is the problem. Always has been, always will be. Everything else is a side effect from that.  There is no such thing as a universally healthy food, only a food that works with your body chemistry or doesn't.  If it doesn't your body will react negatively to it, which is why so many people struggle...they think they are eating "healthy" foods but don't realize many of those foods are reactive in 70+% of people...salmon, oats, wheat, black beans, whey protein, greek yogurt, etc. Long term, this causes chronic low level inflammation, hormonal disruption and potentially a variety of auto-immune conditions. 30% of the weight people are carrying when they are overweight comes from water being held in by inflammation. That's the first thing to go once you stop triggering it.

You do whatever you want, but if I was a person who could spend $10 and buy a book that could change their life, I'd probably take the chance. That's just me tho. Or just keep telling yourself there is nothing that can be done, but now you know that's a lie.

Edited June 23 by matter2003

[That Aud Smell]

That’s more like it, beefcake.

[Pimlach]

6 hours ago, matter2003 said:

Considering you have been looking for solutions for decades and haven't found them, you might want to actually listen to someone who has dropped significant weight several times.  Or don't. No sweat off my back.  But there are very few dieticians that look like me and there are very few people in my kind of shape that have a better nutritional plan than I do.  People can go study all  they want, but if they don't actually put it into practice, how much can one really know? It would be like going to a surgeon who read about how to do surgery in books but never actually did it.

There are a plethora of resources online to do research on your own.  Effectively, the food being eaten on a daily basis is the problem. Always has been, always will be. Everything else is a side effect from that.  There is no such thing as a universally healthy food, only a food that works with your body chemistry or doesn't.  If it doesn't your body will react negatively to it, which is why so many people struggle...they think they are eating "healthy" foods but don't realize many of those foods are reactive in 70+% of people...salmon, oats, wheat, black beans, whey protein, greek yogurt, etc. Long term, this causes chronic low level inflammation, hormonal disruption and potentially a variety of auto-immune conditions. 30% of the weight people are carrying when they are overweight comes from water being held in by inflammation. That's the first thing to go once you stop triggering it.

You do whatever you want, but if I was a person who could spend $10 and buy a book that could change their life, I'd probably take the chance. That's just me tho. Or just keep telling yourself there is nothing that can be done, but know you know that's a lie.

There are some compelling points here.  Your boastful delivery style has been a bit abrupt, but your intent seems to be well meaning.  

I have dropped ~25 lbs since Jan but seem to have reached a plateau that is hard to get past.    I have cut the calorie intake down, smaller portions, better food -more home made food, no fast food, less alcohol, and much more exercise (walking, golfing, and strength training in the gym).   I am stuck at the same weight for the past few months.  

People are telling me that the increased muscle is "heavier" and  that it's inches that I should be focused on.  

There just may be some foods that I am eating that are not good for me and they are holding me back.   My wife is also in the same boat.   We ordered the book on Amazon and we will get it on Friday.   

Edited June 23 by Pimlach