I agree with your assessment of train culture in the United States, as a MidWesterner who doesn't drive because of health issues, who was married for nine years to a woman that was afraid of flying, I have taken many long train rides over the last twenty odd years. It has taught me a lot about America.
Trains really are the best way to travel. My gut impulse is that we should ditch whatever investments we're making in "AI/Self-Driving" cars (that our overlords will one day program to crash on purpose if we become non-compliant or something, lol) and shift it back into the railways. Some of my fondest memories are train rides from London to Cumbria or Riga to St. Petersburg. NYC to Chicago was cool too, but it'd be nice if bunks were affordable for overnight journeys
Even Bill Gates is getting cancelled this week. Funny how he went from philanthropy vaccine -saint, to monster, in just a few weeks. I think the reason they ever reported on Jefferey Epstein's and his list of associates was just to create new people to put in the modern day pillory (same people advocate for 'sex work' after all). The mediocre throw hot takes and public accusations of bad behavior (often sexual) just like medieval townspeople threw tomatoes at the unlucky peasant of the week. It's like Stalinist terror, Jerry Springer and the gladiatorial arenas are fused into one. What a world!
Weekend Reading
I agree with your assessment of train culture in the United States, as a MidWesterner who doesn't drive because of health issues, who was married for nine years to a woman that was afraid of flying, I have taken many long train rides over the last twenty odd years. It has taught me a lot about America.
Trains really are the best way to travel. My gut impulse is that we should ditch whatever investments we're making in "AI/Self-Driving" cars (that our overlords will one day program to crash on purpose if we become non-compliant or something, lol) and shift it back into the railways. Some of my fondest memories are train rides from London to Cumbria or Riga to St. Petersburg. NYC to Chicago was cool too, but it'd be nice if bunks were affordable for overnight journeys
Even Bill Gates is getting cancelled this week. Funny how he went from philanthropy vaccine -saint, to monster, in just a few weeks. I think the reason they ever reported on Jefferey Epstein's and his list of associates was just to create new people to put in the modern day pillory (same people advocate for 'sex work' after all). The mediocre throw hot takes and public accusations of bad behavior (often sexual) just like medieval townspeople threw tomatoes at the unlucky peasant of the week. It's like Stalinist terror, Jerry Springer and the gladiatorial arenas are fused into one. What a world!