I've never been to Pittsburgh or Seattle. The image I have of Pittsburgh is a grim, steel city (I'm sure that's annoying to people from Pittsburgh, please excuse my ignorance of the city). My image of Seattle is of coffee, grunge music, great city if you love the outdoors. And lots of rain 
I'm leaning towards supporting Pittsburgh - who are you going to support?
Pittsburg still has blue-collar roots, but its not the grim place it used to be when there was a thriving steel industry and people actually had jobs as steelworkers.
In another generation kids will ask their Dads why the basketball team from Detroit is named the Pistons when they don't make any cars there, and the football team from Pittsburgh is called the Steelers when they don't make any steel.
As for Seattle, the music scene is mainly past its prime. Its true the area around Seattle is very scenic about 65 days a year, but the other 300 days give it the nation's highest suicide rate. Unfortunately, you can only drink so much coffee and when you're done its still raining.
...those have littered up the country coast to coast. And provide the Chinese with manufacturing jobs. Its win-win. Ponder that for awhile. I gotta go greet customers and collect shopping carts. Go Walmarts!
ten years, U of M guy, and my son graduated from Michigan in '04. Go Blue!
I sure hope U of M doesn't stand for University of Minnesota or we may need to organize a gopher hunt.
somebody on one of these boards thought I was refering to Miami. Michigan, Minnesota, Miami, Missouri all refer to themselves (I assume) as U of M, although you and I know there's only one U of M that counts. Michigan uses U-M a lot, Miami uses UM, and Minnesota (I think) uses U of M most of the time, but I really don't know what Missouri uses (or, for that matter, Montana).
...of course, it's not surprising. I'm sure it's intentional as the ACC has been kicking the Big Ten's ass in everything that counts for decades. Well, except for the label as most overrated and media-hyped conference in the land. The Big Ten's locked in on that for the last few decades!
in 2 more generations, kids will ask their dads, "what IS a piston?" My kid already knows, but he doesn't give a shit and will forget soon.
And if ya don't know to come in out of the rain (which is Ma Nature's reminder to play with the baby's momma) we can't help. If she's too homely, it's your fault, you shoulda been whipping her ass into shape.
Your statement on suicide in Seattle sent me to the web looking for statistics. I found that statistics were mostly local with States and Cities keeping only their own numbers. I did find two national studies. Both appear to belie your statement, although you were close in the case of one City that is near Seattle.
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Rate In U.S. :
The suicide rate in the U.S. has been fairly stable for the past fifty years, going down slightly in the past hew years. Rates vary by age, gender, and race. U.S. rates are moderate among those for other nations. Highest U.S. rates of suicide are found among the Mountain states, with the New England and Mid-Atlantic states consistently lowest. In Kansas the 2001 rate of suicide was 10.8 per 100,000, was the same as the national average.
For those wanting to make up their own minds, the link to the full information
http://www.hqcc.lawrence.ks.us/suicide_prevention/myths_facts.html
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Top five most stressful cities
Tacoma, Washington
Tacoma residents contend with one of the highest divorce rates in the country as well as one of the highest unemployment rates. It's cloudy in Tacoma much of the time, and the suicide and property crime rates are high. On a brighter note, Tacomans can feel safe from bodily harm thanks to the low violent crime rate.
Miami, Florida
The study reports that Miami has the highest violent crime rate as well as one of the highest property crime rates. Making Miami even more stressful is the long commuting time, a high unemployment rate, and a high rate of divorce. Despite these factors, Miami residents manage to maintain a positive mental attitude.
New Orleans, Louisiana
New Orleans has a high violent crime rate and a high unemployment rate. The city also reports a significant number of suicides and divorces.
Las Vegas, Nevada
The turbulent lifestyle of Las Vegas produces some extremely stressful conditions-- the highest suicide and divorce rates in the study, as well as a great deal of alcohol use. Unfortunately, the greatest number of sunny days per year doesn't seem to translate to overall happiness - residents of Las Vegas have a great number of days experiencing poor mental health.
New York City, New York
Beginning and ending their days with the longest commuting journey in the country, the hustle and bustle of the Big Apple can really stress people out. Unemployment is high and so is violent crime, which may explain why New Yorkers spend many of their days experiencing stress, depression, and problems with emotions. But New Yorkers are not quitters - the suicide and divorce rates are some of the lowest.
Top five least stressful cities
Albany-Schenectady-Troy, New York and
Harrisburg-Lebanon-Carlisle, Pennsylvania
These hardworking state capitals and their surrounding areas boast two of the lowest unemployment rates in the country. In fact, both areas score well in many categories - low divorce rates, short average commuting times, a low overall crime rate, and low rates of suicide. One downside to these north-eastern cities is their often-cloudy skies and dreary winters
Orange County, California
Orange County reports little crime, low unemployment, and plenty of sunshine. Commuting can take awhile, but Orange County residents seem to be able to handle it. And their suicide rate is one of the lowest.
Nassau-Suffolk, New York
Although residents of Nassau and Suffolk counties have a very long commuting journey, the area has the lowest violent and property crime rates in the country. The divorce and suicide rates are also among the lowest in the country, indicating a safe and stable place to live.
Minneapolis-St. Paul, Minnesota
The Twin Cities of Minneapolis and St Paul have a low unemployment rate and a low violent crime rate. Despite many cloudy days, the suicide rate is low and the stress scores are generally favourable across the board.
The link to the full information for the willful of mind:
http://www.citymayors.com/features/us_stresscities.html
a good machine-gun section should clear the field long enough to make off with the cheerleaders.
I'm rooting ever so slightly for Pittsburgh, since I've always liked Bettis and I'd like to see him retire with a ring.
--b.
I still don't really care who wins. Since I live in Las Vegas, I have plenty of opportunity to bet on the game, and will just so I care a little about it.
Barca because Henrik Larsson, ex-Celtic hero, plays for them and I think he's brilliant
Now THAT'S sports.
For four years I worked once a month in seattle - and in those 4 years it was sunny only once... with respect to the coffee shops - downtown Seattle is kinda grey and grungy.... not really attractive... while pittsburgh is at the confluence of 2 or 3 rivers... hilly - and experiencing a renaissance of sorts in technology based companies. that is young engineer types - with pride in their city.... sooooo....... granola crunchers in seattle seem a bit unwashed compared to the group in Pittsburgh... but hey what do I know..... I am green....
So you see - I am for the Steelers...... oh - the suicide rate in seattle is a tad higher that other parts of the country - (except vermont) and most attribute that to the high number of overcast days in both locals - me on the other hand I tend to attribute it to the high number of granola powered Birkenstock wearing human units.
the granola powered Birkenstock wearing human units make people want to kill themselves?
Even granola powered Birkenstock chicks can flash, which should be enough to cheer people up enough that they don't kill themselves.
Maybe the city should pass a resolution reminding citizens how important it is to be GIB, so people don't want to kill themselves; and a code requiring all babes to keep themselves clean, sweet, orderly and available on demand, so nobody goes and kills themselves.
Although even with the extended length of Superbowl commercial breaks it would still be a "quickie"
like 9 hours long with all the ads and breaks, which lends itself to more points I think. I'm thinking 27-24 or something like that.
NSF
a wee bit back in history.