How’s the economy going? New census numbers indicate it’s bad and getting worse. The number of people without insurance went up last year while the median income for both men and women dropped. Poverty remained unchanged, and no progress in that case is as shameful and discouraging as it would be if the number increased.
Look at this caterpillar. It doesn’t even look like a bug, let alone one that’s still alive, yet it is.
Check out these images of animal hybridization. Sure, they’re photoshopped, but they’re quite cool — although some are disturbing combinations that don’t look very nice. [via PZ]
Dr. Charles asks if your doctor is prepared for avian flu and other pandemic threats, and he provides a synopsis of what physicians should be doing to prepare. He also notes the importance of preparation by non-medical personnel, an important factor for both disease and terrorism threats. Do you have a supply of sealed fresh water, non-perishable foods, and other supplies?
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It’s a bug-eat-bug world, and those photos prove it. Beautiful pics of one bee’s untimely demise.
Of course, we can’t go without the gratuitous kitten photo. In this case, he’s helping with the electronics.
xocobra and I talked about the housing market just this past weekend, and I said then what I will say now: it’s a-gonna fall, and it’s a-gonna fall hard. I think the next two years will show that. In the meantime, just to give you some perspective on where it’s been since 1890 and how high it’s gone recently compared to history, take a look at this chart (see the link below that to a larger version for more clarity). As Atrios says, “This is not going to be pretty.” I strongly expect a rush on bankruptcies and foreclosures over the next 24 months, and the seller’s market will make a very painful conversion into a buyer’s market. I can only hope I’m wrong about that, but I doubt I am.
Regrettably, all the smart people think America’s actions in the Middle East have strengthened Iran tremendously. “The US-led ‘war on terror’ has bolstered Iran’s power and influence in the Middle East, especially over its neighbour and former enemy Iraq, a thinktank said today. A report published by Chatham House said the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan had removed Iran’s main rival regimes in the region. Israel’s conflict with the Palestinians and its invasion of Lebanon had also put Iran ‘in a position of considerable strength’ in the Middle East, said the thinktank.” As usual, this administration is blundering along claiming one set of goals while accomplishing something entirely unrelated.
I’m buying one (or more) of these tee shirts. They say “I Am Not A Terrorist” in Arabic. I can’t wait to wear one to the airport. I mean, given my intact government security clearance, it would be rather entertaining to see how that turns out, eh?