The only thing I can think of is the American Institute of Economic Research is located there. It is a libertarian thinktank. Maybe they canvased the area with placards, etc. The area itself is very blue so it should have gone the way of the rest of the Berkshires, so that really is an oddity.

Get ready for the Medicare Advantage ads to start populating the airwaves. If I hear Jimmy Walker say "m o n e y back into your check each month" I will scream. Thank God for the mute button.

Alabama's state motto

Highest score in Education, second after Hawaii for Health, fourth in Personal Freedom and Tolerance and 26th or 27th in Economic Equity. Sounds about right. Mississippi ranked last.

Fascinating how historical events have shaped the clocks. Back when the History channel did history, there was a show How States got their Shapes. It would be interesting (probably only to me, but still interesting) to have a show How Nations got their Time Zones. So much was originally driven by colonialism.

The politics of "time" has alway fascinated me. All of China is "officially" on Beijing time. There was a single issue political part in Australia known as the DS4SEQ (Daylight Savings for South East Queensland). Their only issue was to enact Daylight Savings Time. Think of the "the Rents Too Damn High" party in NY.

Most countries not near the equator had DST at some point but now it is found mostly in Europe (known as Summer Time), US and Canada, Australia, NZ, and a couple of countries in South America. Some states like Hawaii and Arizona do not observe it. Though in Arizona, the Diné nation (Navajo) does observe it.

Historically, it was to promote energy savings because people would be active during sunlight rather than darkness. Ben Franklin thought it would save on candles, for example. Some argued that by extending sunlight in the evening, people would shop and have more leisure activities in the evening during Summer

As one who drives East in the morning and West at night, I always felt it was designed to give me more opportunities to head directly into the sun's glare in the morning.

Many here are probably too young to remember this, but we had non-connected transistor clocks that were programmed to fall back and spring ahead. The clocks got all screwed up when Congress changed the dayes for the time switch and there was no easy way to reprogram them.

In our city, you purchased a matress sticker -59$ or there abouts and affixed it to the matress, and left it on the curb on garbage pickup day or you had the furniture store pick it up when they delivered a new one. Now the city has partnered with a recycler who picks it up for $55.

For clothes, we have 2 municipal drop boxes plus charity drop boxes. I guess they sort out reusables/donatables from trash.

NCIS: Oceans

If you work in Massachusetts as a full-time, part-time, temporary, or casual employee, your employer must pay you your regular wages for any work missed for the first 3 days of your service. After the third day, the state may compensate jurors at the rate of $50 per day. This pay is taxable.

Lots, zipcar, hubble contact lens, donations to Donald Trump. https://www.birminghamtimes.com/2021/11/ftc-cracks-down-on-click-to-subscribe-call-to-cancel-billing-for-subscription-services/

You are absolutely right, but I am a pragmatist. Even if Republicans voted for it in the Senate, red state Attorneys General would file a suit in Texas federal court and the judge would put a nationwide stay in place. We should be able to do this in MA.

Would it be wrong of me to say - good better them than me? Gyms did not come to mind, but you are absolutely right, for some gyms, their business model is to have no one use their services, but require the hassle of in person cancellation. I wonder what they do in CA.

Bloody hell!, could you image what little dialogue Owen Newitt would have is if he were banned from saying things like that. One of my favorite episodes is the swear jar episode.