Stability Index

NPR had an interesting story recently on the availability of Coca Cola as a measure of the stability of a country. I found it very interesting. It ties in nicely with an often-used measure of development by members of the Foreign Service: cost of a Big Mac. (In some cases acquiring a Big Mac involves a plane ticket to the nearest city that has a McDonalds.)

For every Foreign Service post there is a list of items to bring with you (because you can't find them there). Common items: peanut butter, salsa, "Mexican" food (actually Tex-Mex or American-style Mexican foods such as taco seasoning and shells), and often various Asian food items (unless you're talking IN Asia, of course). Many people help use this information to help them decide on where such a place falls in their priority, along with other factors such as language, climate, crime, pollution, pay, quality of housing and medical care, and, for those with kids, availability and quality of schools.

This started a train of thought: what other measurements do we use on an everyday basis to decide if something is good/bad/tolerable? As you drive through a neighborhood, what visual clues do you observe that frames your opinion? Lawn care? People walking the neighborhood and what they're wearing? Children playing? Graffiti? Skin color/ethnicity? Make/model/age of cars parked? Each person has his or her own criteria, I'm sure. After 17 years of marriage (celebrated just a few days ago, thanks), Emily and I don't have identical criteria. In one Arlington neighborhood, some combination of factors made her nervous and state that she'd probably not be comfortable there. I totally missed whatever it was. I admit the development wasn't as nice as some others, but I recall I really liked the mature oak trees that shaded both the front of the buildings and the street parking. Since we never actually made it into the unit, it really didn't matter. (We've since decided that the condo market in Arlington and Alexandria is just too expensive. Condo fees are ridiculous.)