Bethesda, Maryland is America's #17 "Coolest" City (???) // FORBES RANKINGS: #1 Houston, #2 DC, #10 NY, #14 Baltimore

UPDATE: Just Up the Pike blogger Dan Reed correctly points out in the comments that the areas used to calculate restaurant densities and other factors are not just the city boundaries. In reality, Forbes included the neighboring major metropolitan areas (aka Metropolitan Statistical Areas). For example, Forbes describes the areas measured for Washington, Baltimore and Bethesda as follows:

• Bethesda = Bethesda-Frederick-Gaithersburg, MD
• Baltimore = Baltimore-Towson, MD
• Washington = Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV

FORBES RANKS AMERICA'S "COOLEST" CITIES: Forbes magazine recently ranked America's major cities to determine the "coolest" places to live in the United States. Their results have generated a decent amount of discussion, given that Houston, Texas ranks as America's #1 "coolest" city. But even more interesting is that Bethesda, Maryland made the list at #17.

Obama Fundraising Mail Highlights Job Growth & Change // Plus, Bumpersticker Indicates Joe Biden Still on Ticket as VP

Maryland Juice just received the following fundraising package from President Barack Obama's re-election campaign. This is one of the first clear "re-election" pieces I have received, and it seems a bit more relevant now that we know how the GOP nominee will be. The three pieces in Obama's solicitation included:

1. A new bumper sticker that is one more sign Obama will be keeping Joe Biden on as Vice President,
2. A graph of job growth before and after Obama took office, and
3. A list of "changes" promised in 2008 that Obama has advanced.

We provide copies of the three pieces below (click to enlarge):

Now, if we could just put some of Obama's other campaign promises back on the radar: ie: stopping U.S. torture/closing Guantanamo, repealing the Patriot Act, aggressive environmental enforcement and ending the failed federal War on Drugs....