Oct 25 2021 - Cities Bursting with Billionaires

 

Do you want to know what a prop gun and a blank are or do you want to know how many billionaires live in each city/state of the US? I am going for the billionaires as a blank bullet doesn't look safe to me at all given a prop gun still is a gun.  Sounds good in theory, but there's still something inside the gun that gets projected out.  I attribute my lack of confidence in blanks to being Canadian.  In Canada there are 35 guns per 100 residents. In the US it is 121 firearms for every 100 residents.   That's the highest in the world.   So on to billionaires.  Money is widely reported on in all kinds of ways, so an article, outlining the richest people in each state is interesting - pretty pictures of each city, and then reporting on the resident with the top net worth.  The article is HERE.   I guessed New York, New York.   New York: New York | Billionaires residing in New York: 86 - Combined net worth of billionaires in city: $446.0 billion - Wealthiest billionaire in city: Michael Bloomberg ($54.9 billion) - Runner-up city: Oyster Bay (2 billionaires; net worth: $7.5 billion)  So then, where does Jeff Bezos' live?  In Medina, Washington - like Bill Gates.  Washington: Seattle | Billionaires residing in Seattle: 8 - Combined net worth of billionaires in city: $252.2 billion - Wealthiest billionaire in city: Jeff Bezos ($183.1 billion) - Runner-up city: Medina (2 billionaires; net worth: $129.6 billion)  Elon Musk?  He lives in Hillsborough, California - between San Francisco and Silicon Valley. His net worth is $220 billion. Mark Zuckerberg? In Palo Alto, California with a net worth of $120.9 billion.  California: San Francisco | Billionaires residing in San Francisco: 41 - Combined net worth of billionaires in city: $173.8 billion - Wealthiest billionaire in city: Dustin Moskovitz ($17.9 billion) - Runner-up city: Los Angeles (25 billionaires; net worth: $98.8 billion)  Oh well, I guess it doesn't add up when you look at the numbers, but it did seem fun. Here are two of nature's abstracts.

Purchase at: FAA - marilyncornwellart.com Redbubble - marilyncornwellart.ca

The Exception

I am usually seeing headlines that want me to click to see the top 10, the most beautiful, the best, etc.  Today there's a headline that is an exception: 12 of the work places to live in the U.S. This article made their list considering crime reports, annual median incomes, air quality, climate, poverty levels and unemployment rates.  Their list included St. Louis.  Here are the "worst" 5: Memphis, Tennessee New Haven, Connecticut Cleveland, Ohio Detroit, Michigan Camden, Jew Jersey Forbes has had Camden on their list of "America's Most Miserable Cities" for years. It is known for urban decay and political corruption. Its median household income is $18,000 and 45% of residents live below the poverty line. Its crime rate is 560% over the national average.  I thought:  Maybe in perspective, we'll find that the U.S. is not in dire straits.  So I spread the net to the most dangerous cities in the world.  St. Louis comes up number 13 for murder rates. The 12 cities ahead of it are in Mexico, Venezuela, and Brazil.  I thought, I'd look broader to find the 'most horrible' places in the world.  Even there, we see U.S. cities:  Dhaka, then Mumbai, Detroit, Karachi and Hackensack, N.J. Every day I learn something new:  I could never have guessed these statistics. Today's image shows a beautiful meandering road in Colorado.

Great Cities

What makes a city great?  Google will quickly show you a list of sites claiming to know the top 5, top 10 and best cities to visit.   The criteria must vary between the sites as different cities show up.  I started to think about what makes Toronto such a great city. Living in Grimsby now, the view of the skyline on the water gives me the sense of Toronto having landmark buildings - the CN Tower and the Skydome (Rogers Centre) - along with being on the water. The CN Tower is recognizable in a way that the Eiffel Tower is - there's only one in the world. I find out that is how most urbanites feel too. A survey commissioned by planning and design firm Sasaki Associates (2014) asked 1,000 urbanites in San Francisco, Chicago, Austin, New York, Boston, and Washington, D.C. what they love most about their city. The findings, which cover diverse aspects of city life, offer truly fascinating insights for urban planners, landscape architects, and architects. One example: 60 percent of residents of these cities say they will still be in the city five years from now.  1. Many people feel the history of a building is the primary factor that makes it iconic 2. Consumers across the country love to shop and eat - more than any other outdoor activity 3. Most people remember their favourite city experience taking place outdoors - either in a park or on a street 4. When it comes to transportation issues, people are most frustrated by traffic Our pictures today are a pretty pot plant that came in to Coles yesterday.  It is a traditional plant for Easter with the common name of lady's purse and slipper flower.