It seems like Portland is the place to be...

I know a fair number of folks who live in Portland. They're always talking about the cool stuff going down there - community spaces, progressive legislation, public-use composting toilets, etc. Here's one more thing, from this rundown of state legislation:

Oregon is requiring health insurance providers to cover contraceptives.

This in contrast to Kansas, which is quickly climbing my list of least favorite states:

Kansas lawmakers will act on a bill requiring health insurance providers in
the state to cover cost for obesity reduction surgery.

I love it that some states think insurance companies should have to cover mutilation of functional internal organs....and others are making it mandatory to cover birth control. Was there ever a paradox more illustrative of the political and cultural divides of this country?