Hmm. Kickstart builds buzz. The reputation part only comes if they fulfill on the promise.

I am an introvert. Meeting new people is very stressful. But some of the best moments in my life involve sharing a connection with another human being — and every close friend was a stranger at some point.

700 reported, not actual. Last year was 70 reported. Ten times increase prompted declaration of emergency. Also 18 people dead in Massachusetts so far.

Everybody should have the right to dress the way they want. But when sexy parts are on display, I suppose it will be difficult to convince some people not to think of sex. Hopefully in the near future the genders will learn to consider and respect each other's situation in addition to their own.

Population density and infrastructure.

Isn't that the case everywhere? Take any state and there will always be some isolated pockets putting up with the rest of the population. Nothing different with California.

Dunno, the staged events seem like an okay idea. Who goes to a bar alone nowadays? In general, people go to hang out with friends or with a significant other... they are already paired off or not in the mindset to meet others outside their own clique. The staged event offsets that, people are more likely to be…

The key quote is "...Rather than looking for advice that agrees with what you already hope to do, try to imaging the situation from the standpoint of someone else." The goal is to avoid feedback loops that just echo your bias rather than present a compelling argument for the other side.