@52 BC: You wrote: ‘People who stay in urban areas post 20’s tend to do so because they like the stimulation and variety that urban living provides, and tend to keep their mental acuity long after their old suburban buddies start behaving more like 2 legged cows.”

I think we are certainly in two different metropolitan areas. The inner cities areas I know on the East Coast are characterized by 10% heavily policed upper class zones, surrounded by the standard high crime, low education, broken families (actually in both zones, now that I think of it), dilapidated housing, low income, dead-enders making a “living” off charity and dumpster diving.

Such a wonderful environment…

And the intellectual accomplishments are not quite up to snuff. I mentioned Supersymmetry and String Theory last time I was in an “intellectual” environment (Multiple Universes anyone?) and was ridiculed as an “Unfeeling” yahoo.

But, oh – were their hearts in the right place!

Unfortunately, their brains had been checked at city limits.

YOu can have them, BC: they’re not worth the time to waste your breathe upon.

Unrepentant Scientist…Not A Climatologist.