America's Top (or bottom) Ten Most Miserable Cities

[Nickdfresh]

It's a slide show on MSNBC, and I'm a bit surprised by some of the entries:

America's top 10 unhappiest cities - MSN Real Estate (http://realestate.msn.com//slideshow.aspx?cp-documentid=18184152)

[kwame k]

I wonder how accurate the unemployment numbers are. It truly was depressing living near Detroit and I am glad I was able to leave.

Yup, Detroit is even worse than what they reported. It is now at 22.2%. They must of been using numbers from December.


January’s rate marked a sharp jump from the city’s December rate of 18.6%. As reported earlier this month, the state of Michigan’s unemployment rate for January was 11.6%.


For many years, unemployment in the city has run higher than the state or suburban areas. Even at more than 20%, the rate may not capture the depth of economic pain in the city because people who have stopped looking for work or who can find only part-time jobs are not counted in the rate.

Link (http://www.freep.com/article/20090319/NEWS01/90319093/1002/rss02)

[Panamark]

They are offering homes in Detroit to Australian buyers
from $1.50 to $3000.....

When I read that, I was like WTF ???

I'll see if I can find the article again..

[Panamark]

Here ya go

House for sale for $1.50. Some commuting necessary... | News.com.au Top stories | News.com.au (http://www.news.com.au/story/0,,25184134-2,00.html)

[chefcraig]

They are offering homes in Detroit to Australian buyers
from $1.50 to $3000.....

When I read that, I was like WTF ???

I'll see if I can find the article again..


Here ya go

House for sale for $1.50. Some commuting necessary... | News.com.au Top stories | News.com.au (http://www.news.com.au/story/0,,25184134-2,00.html)

And by way of comparison, Australia recently offered the following...

Life's a beach with dream Australian island job

http://img25.imageshack.us/img25/8826/austr.jpg (http://img25.imageshack.us/my.php?image=austr.jpg)
The successful applicant will have plenty of time to explore the Great Barrier Reef.

(CNN) -- It sounds far too good to be true: a salary of more than $100,000, a free home on a palm-fringed island and all the snorkeling you can be bothered with.

However, it is true and a very clever marketing ploy to boot.

Australia's Tourism Queensland has garnered worldwide media coverage by advertising the "best job in the world" -- the post of caretaker on Hamilton island in the Great Barrier Reef.

The six-month contract, according to Tourism Queensland, comes with flexible working hours and the successful applicant's "key responsibilities" include exploring the area to discover what is on offer and to report back weekly via blogs, photo diaries, video updates and media interviews.

Sounds taxing doesn't it?

The group said other responsibilities would include cleaning the pool, which comes with your free home, feeding the fish and collecting the mail (this would be done by joining the aerial postal service for a day or two to get a good view of the neighboring islands).

You might also take time out from your busy schedule to check out the turtles and passing whales.

On top of the six-figure salary you'll get return airfares from your nearest capital city, transport on the island, travel insurance, computer and camera gear and travel to other islands in the Great Barrier Reef.

No academic qualifications are required but you must be a good swimmer and enjoy snorkeling, be adventurous and have good communication skills.

Where do I sign up I hear you ask?

Tourism Queensland is asking for a 60-second video explanation of why you'd be great for the job and that you fill out their online application form at The Best Job In The World (http://www.islandreefjob.com)

Applications close on February 22, by which time you may be able to get on the Web site -- unsurprisingly it is proving very hard to load at the moment (not that I'm trying... that often).

Life's a beach with dream Australian island job - CNN.com (http://edition.cnn.com/2009/TRAVEL/01/12/queensland.australia.hamilton.island/index.html)

[kwame k]

Here ya go

House for sale for $1.50. Some commuting necessary... | News.com.au Top stories | News.com.au (http://www.news.com.au/story/0,,25184134-2,00.html)

The houses you can buy in Detroit for a $1,000.00 are completely gutted and you would have to rebuild darn near everything. Windows, electrical, plumbing, heating, drywall and etc. I looked into a few of them and it wasn't worth the time, plus having to spend the out of pocket expenses for completely redoing the houses.

[kwame k]

And by way of comparison, Australia recently offered the following...

Life's a beach with dream Australian island job

http://img25.imageshack.us/img25/8826/austr.jpg (http://img25.imageshack.us/my.php?image=austr.jpg)
The successful applicant will have plenty of time to explore the Great Barrier Reef.

(CNN) -- It sounds far too good to be true: a salary of more than $100,000, a free home on a palm-fringed island and all the snorkeling you can be bothered with.

However, it is true and a very clever marketing ploy to boot.

Australia's Tourism Queensland has garnered worldwide media coverage by advertising the "best job in the world" -- the post of caretaker on Hamilton island in the Great Barrier Reef.

The six-month contract, according to Tourism Queensland, comes with flexible working hours and the successful applicant's "key responsibilities" include exploring the area to discover what is on offer and to report back weekly via blogs, photo diaries, video updates and media interviews.

Sounds taxing doesn't it?

The group said other responsibilities would include cleaning the pool, which comes with your free home, feeding the fish and collecting the mail (this would be done by joining the aerial postal service for a day or two to get a good view of the neighboring islands).

You might also take time out from your busy schedule to check out the turtles and passing whales.

On top of the six-figure salary you'll get return airfares from your nearest capital city, transport on the island, travel insurance, computer and camera gear and travel to other islands in the Great Barrier Reef.

No academic qualifications are required but you must be a good swimmer and enjoy snorkeling, be adventurous and have good communication skills.

Where do I sign up I hear you ask?

Tourism Queensland is asking for a 60-second video explanation of why you'd be great for the job and that you fill out their online application form at The Best Job In The World (http://www.islandreefjob.com)

Applications close on February 22, by which time you may be able to get on the Web site -- unsurprisingly it is proving very hard to load at the moment (not that I'm trying... that often).

Life's a beach with dream Australian island job - CNN.com (http://edition.cnn.com/2009/TRAVEL/01/12/queensland.australia.hamilton.island/index.html)

Now that's a job I could handle.

[Panamark]

You guys will hate me for this....
I used to live and worked where this job is, and spent every weekend
on the Reef. My girlfriends parents owned a tour booking agency
and we could literally pick which island/tour/activity we wanted
to do.... (For Free !)

If you ever get to come to Oz and only have one option,
make sure its the Reef ! And try to get onto one of the less commercial
tours. That way you get a private boat that will take you to
places that havent had 200,000 Japanese a day snorkelling over
the same patch...

[BITEYOASS]

As if the LIONS losing every fuckin game last season wasn't enough! Detroit can't make it at No. 1 in anything.

[Panamark]

The houses you can buy in Detroit for a $1,000.00 are completely gutted and you would have to rebuild darn near everything. Windows, electrical, plumbing, heating, drywall and etc. I looked into a few of them and it wasn't worth the time, plus having to spend the out of pocket expenses for completely redoing the houses.


So the land is worth nuthin ?? (obviously)

[Nitro Express]

They cleaned up the Detroit River though. Right off shore from the city they have National pro bass tournaments. Our family got snowed in the Renassance Center in the blizzard of 78. 15 foot snow drifts and the hotel ran out of all food exept for shrimp cocktail which we ate for three days.

[BITEYOASS]

They cleaned up the Detroit River though. Right off shore from the city they have National pro bass tournaments. Our family got snowed in the Renassance Center in the blizzard of 78. 15 foot snow drifts and the hotel ran out of all food exept for shrimp cocktail which we ate for three days.

Can't say the same for the water around the Rouge River Plant or Zug Island for that matter.

Of course if you want to go to a place that's really depressing, try my hometown of Jackson, Mich.

[kwame k]

So the land is worth nuthin ?? (obviously)

Pretty much, Mark.

[Seshmeister]

So the land is worth nuthin ?? (obviously)

Would you want to live beside Von? :)

[Panamark]

Would you want to live beside Von? :)

Well Im assuming he drinks beer and plays reasonable music
through his stereo, so it couldnt be that bad could it ??

So land in detroit is worth shit ??
So putting 2 + 2 together, there must be a lot of races of
people living there who dont happen to be white ???
(Was that politically correct enough :D ?)

Must have changed since Kiss wrote "Detroit Rock City"
What was it, get up, everbodies gonna move their feet
get down everybodies gonna leave their seats..
Your gonna lose your mind in Detroit Rock City..

Sounds like your house and land too...

Kiss was very prophetic back then...

[Terry]

Well Im assuming he drinks beer and plays reasonable music
through his stereo, so it couldnt be that bad could it ??

So land in detroit is worth shit ??
So putting 2 + 2 together, there must be a lot of races of
people living there who dont happen to be white ???
(Was that politically correct enough :D ?)

Must have changed since Kiss wrote "Detroit Rock City"
What was it, get up, everbodies gonna move their feet
get down everybodies gonna leave their seats..
Your gonna lose your mind in Detroit Rock City..

Sounds like your house and land too...

Kiss was very prophetic back then...


Panamark, if you saw Detroit...I mean, fuck me, you couldn't PAY me a thousand bucks to GIVE me one of those dilapidated houses in a Detroit slum...fuck, man, in certain parts of that town the natives would mug you on sight should you even try and visit said property.


All big cities have similarities, but there are parts of Washington, D.C., Detroit and Atlanta that one doesn't want to be caught in after dark...not places one wants to fuck around in unless packing some heat.

[Panamark]

I copped a bit of action in San Francisco when we stayed there...
Cops running after black dudes, guns out, one homeless black
guy (off his mind on something) bailed me up in a corner and
started to try and sell me the hair of his head.. He had
a knife and had cut huge chunks off which he was holding
in his hands.. Buy muh hair man, Please buy muh hair !
I said, nah man, its your hair you need to keep it !
I then told him I just stepped off a plane from Australia
and could give him some money, but it was Australian.
(I knew I only had 5 or 10 bucks on me). Well we have
these trippy colorful plastic notes and I gave him what was
in my pocket. An Aussie fiver !! It worked, he fucked off...
When I checked the exchange rate next day I figured he
would have got $2.70 US for it !! lol.. Ah wells..

But yeah, San Fran was an eye opener and I'm going to
check out Atlanta next trip. If detroit has the issues
of Frisco I dont think I would want to raise kids there...

Actually you can buy homes and land in parts of
Australia for $1, but it comes with conditions.
Miles from nowhere, have to have some kind of profession
that will benefit the town, have to live there for X amount
of years.. That sort of shit.. If you revel in isolation, this
would be a good deal. Apart from the desert regions in the
middle of Oz, our countryside is great anywhere you go...
Would be zero crime too...

[Seshmeister]

I copped a bit of action in San Francisco when we stayed there...
Cops running after black dudes, guns out, one homeless black guy (off his mind on something) bailed me up in a corner and started to try and sell me the hair of his head.. He had a knife and had cut huge chunks off which he was holding in his hands.. Buy muh hair man, Please buy muh hair !


I wonder if Mezro would still have done that if he had realized it was you..

[Seshmeister]

Seriously though I'm disappointed.

I would have expected you to say to him 'That's not a knife' and take out your large Bowie... :)

[Panamark]

:) to both the above,

I never knew Mezro was a 'negra
I thought he would hang out in the more
"flamboyant" areas with those flags celebrating
Ritchie Blackmores best band...

I wish I did have my Big Bad Bowie !!
Could have saved the fiver ;)