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Pinkumb t1_j4wm1f2 wrote

People should be aware this is rapidly becoming a culture war issue. This is largely because 1) an associated press bombshell article about Canada's medical assistance in dying program (MAID) and 2) American conservatives reorienting their arguments about pro-life to focus on this issue.

The gist of the pro argument is it is only humane to allow people to choose when to die. We know the vast majority of a person's lifetime medical expenses will occur within 90 days of their death. We know medical debt is the main reason people declare bankruptcy. We know there's nothing stopping people from killing themselves in less humane ways (as referenced in this article). The pro argument is an appeal to common decency and practicality.

The gist of the anti argument is these policies innately corrupt medical institutions that are supposed to be stalwart advocates for your right to life. After the initial report in August 2022, there have been a string of anecdotal stories from elderly or disabled people in Canada who had some totally survivable illness and were prescribed MAID. This has extended to individuals who believe they were disliked by medical staff and it would be more convenient to simply "assist" their death. The anti argument is a moral argument that you can't trust institutions with this kind of irreversible power.

Personally, I was pretty convinced of the pro argument up until these reports. The thing that's been really disturbing is seeing the Tik Tok trend of kids with depression talking about how they can't wait to turn 18 so they can apply for MAID. I really don't know what to do with that.

Sharing this because I thought people might relate to the shift in views I personally experienced over the past few months.

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Pinkumb t1_j4h5nlj wrote

Everyone goes to Mecha but there's another Raemen place 6 doors down called Kyushu which is arguably better.

Judy's BBQ is really good and it is the definition of "hidden" because they closed the physical location. You can still order pick-up but you have to go to the other restaurant Tabouli in Bulls Head.

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Pinkumb t1_j4h57bd wrote

Let it be known your viewpoint is completely disconnected from reality.

For starters, that bridge is irrelevant to Soul Tasty's access to customers. They're literally off of two major roads — Tresser and Washington. The only people that bridge would convenience are people who live on Stillwater Avenue. Anyone further than that can simply drive to Tresser. It's worth noting everyone on Stillwater... is walking distance from the bridge. That bridge has nothing to do with Soul Tasty's ability to get business.

Second you're actively disseminating misinformation about a project that can't make any progress because of the exact misinformation you're putting out there. There are two cohorts who prevent anything from happening to that bridge. 1) People who want it restored because it has historic value and 2) people who want to drive on it. Restoring the bridge is possible but it is financially irresponsible to repair it to a point of allowing cars. The cost is way too high for a bridge no one would even use. There are traffic studies that prove this. Any traffic going over that bridge can just as easily use Tresser.

So you can make it a historic bridge you can walk on, or you can knock it down and let people drive on it. Those are your options. No one likes those options, which is why the city has taken so long to do anything we lost almost a million dollars from a grant expiring. I've never even heard of that happening. We got a grant a decade ago and didn't do anything with it. Enough.

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Pinkumb t1_j4bksfp wrote

The challenge with Stamford's nightlife is you basically have the same bar 5 times. If you like that thing then you can bounce around 5 places and have a decent enough time between Bradford's, Bedford Hall, Towne Parlor, Hudson Social, and Tigin's but they're all a similar vibe with arbitrary crowd distinctions. Towne Parlor is younger because it used to be Brother Jimmys and people under 21 were there all the time (same with Brickhouse) whereas Hudson Social is an older crowd. All of them have the same drinks, same prices, and same music.

Personally, if I want to go out with my friends I go to Murphy's on Franklin. It's more of a neighborhood pub and the two bartenders are the sons of the owners. It's a small venue and not a dance location, but you can have some drinks and talk to your friends and maybe chat with some strangers. Tiernan's is kind of ok for that too.

Personally I think they should open a bar called "Introverts" that simply plays the music 50% quieter. I think it'd be a hit.

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Pinkumb t1_j43zf7v wrote

Dr. LoPresti right downtown. He's a second-generation dentist. There are two LoPrestis Jon and Matt. You want Matt. He started it and he's the best.

Also I don't think he'll ever admit it but I think there's a requirement for his staff to be phenomenally attractive. They're all very good at their job too.

https://www.loprestidentalgroup.com/contact/

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Pinkumb t1_j410ptt wrote

Compared to other cities yeah. Those areas are the west side, south end, and east side. Which isn't to say it's the entirety of the east, west, and south of Stamford. There are just areas that haven't gotten investment in decades so they look rundown. My definition of safe is to express you won't have a confrontation if you're in the area. I don't think these areas are great for taking a family stroll, but even with that caveat there's always some park you can walk to that's ideal for that.

For context I've lived in other cities like Boston, New York, Los Angeles and I've visited cities like DC, Baltimore, Nashville, Memphis, New Orleans, Houston, Austin, New Mexico, and some other places up north. There are definitely places I remember feeling scared for my life and Stamford doesn't come anywhere close to that.

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Pinkumb t1_j3zitww wrote

Statistically Stamford is the safest city in the northeast measured by violent crime per capita for communities with 100,000 or more residents. So yes, it's very safe.

There are "worse areas" but it's really not an issue. Any violent crime in Stamford is from two people who know each other. Not hold ups.

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Pinkumb t1_j3yup5z wrote

Sounds like a light with a pressure sensor that you were either too far forward or too far back to trigger.

Also just blow the "no right on red" signs. They're absurdly proliferated to traffic accident stats (which they accomplish in the same way banning cars would).

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Pinkumb t1_j24u1ot wrote

  1. The assessment is done every 3 years (or 4 years?) and is largely driven by the area you're in not the house itself. As you know, property values have jumped in the past few years and the state is catching up.

  2. I believe the assessment is done by the state or at the very least follows pretty stringent state guidelines. I can't imagine gaining anything out of an appeal beyond a 15 minute meeting.

My property evaluation went up $20k and I bought this place in the second half of this year. It seems stupid but I don't think I'll gain anything that I'll lose by trying to track down who comes up with this crap.

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Pinkumb t1_j1zx44x wrote

When considering Stamford's school rating you need to consider the context of Stamford. This is a city next to many phenomenally wealthy suburban towns. Our neighbors are Greenwich, New Canaan, and Darien. Average home in Greenwich is $2.4M, New Canaan is $1.7M, Darien is $1.6M. Stamford? $600k. The wealth is a good indicator for other factors. Stamford is the most diverse city in Connecticut. Our neighbors are uniquely not diverse.

Lower incomes and more diverse student demographic means you need more educational services with less money. If your kid is average in Greenwich you may get a ton of services to help them out, but if they're average in Stamford they might not. Additionally, Stamford may not have as much funding for extracurricular activities these parents care about more. These are reasons they may call the school "bad" but that's not really the situation.

That's not the whole story. Stamford schools are not immune to criticism, but the ratings are not an accurate picture.

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Pinkumb t1_j0ldwto wrote

I grew up in the Boston area and now live in Stamford.

Boston beats Stamford by every possible metric. Better opportunities, better housing, better neighborhoods, better community, better culture, better parks, better pay, and better quality of life.

The only reason you wouldn't move to Boston is 1) you hate Boston sports teams or 2) you really can't stand another few degrees of cold in the winter 3) you want to be closer to home.

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