So, pursuant to Sean's story about the swearing-in...why are the coasts more liberal than the heartland? Do liberals move to coastal areas? Is it the influx of immigrants? The constant awareness due to ports that there's more than just us in the world? Chemical pollution in the ocean? Heterogenous cities (I kinda covered that already)?

Abi, I think, pointed out that when you look at the purple map by county you can pretty much trace the major rivers by the blueness. I think it's urban/rural mostly since ports=cities.

bon is a thread whore.

Just one of my many whore-facets.

DH hasn't gotten his raise for this year, yet

Still waiting for word on mine. Which will be retroactive to freaking February, they've gotten so overdue on this shit.

I think I've literally never worked anywhere where there was a standard annual raise. I've gotten raises, but they always came with a big "Hey! Just for you! More money!"

minded youths in the heartland to want to run screaming from a world view that's so very different fromt heir own

I know *I* did.

Maybe it's living on the water. Not so much for the New Age-ness of that, but for the simple economic reason that connie pointed out. If you lose your conservatism, you gain custom. If you keep it, you lose custom.

Another blow for Adam Smith! Economics drives politics! Huzzah!

OK, I'm a little punchy tonight.

How does Canada shake out? Australia? China?

So, like, what kind of raises are folks in the IT industry getting?

None, but I haven't had a permajob in four years. My contract rate varies, depending on the budget, and the bitterness tag never closes.

However, I don't think my friends at the EE are reporting any large raises, either.

Canada sort of fits for the big city thing. And B.C., of course. But Canada's east coast is less uniform. The prairies are pretty red though, except for Redmonton, which is a different kind of red.

I'm going to break in here and have a shark rant.

Yahoo is reporting another teenager got bit. Only on the ankle, it's minor, he's fine. They didn't say what he was doing just in chest deep murky water.

Now, the girl who died. I feel bad about that, I really do. However, she was swimming amongst bait fish, which sharks also know as food.

The teenager who lost his leg was 60 ft out from the shore, in chest deep water, fishing with live bait and stringer of fish. That's stupid right there.

Plus then you hear about these attacks and how sharks are out of control, etc. Which means people will decide to kill and maim sharks and I hate that. The sea is a dangerous place, it's not some nice chlorinated wave pool. I wish people would think of the ocean as a wilderness rather than a safe swimming pool.

Villaraigosa just gave a great speech. It's nice to hear a stirring political speech that sounds genuine, for a change.

Sean, bless you for some happy-making politics today.