Change, for a Dollar

Change... for a Dollar

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9DXL9vIUbWg

Blog Snapshot

The number and locations of visitors to my blog is amazing, and growing. There is more than a ten-fold increase over a year ago, which is really awesome considering that there are 126 million blogs as of January, 2010.

The snapshot above is just a moment in time showing where my visitors were when they logged on... the internet surely has shrunk our world and increased our communications!

Interesting Unemployment Graphic Visualisation

According to the U.S. Department of Labor's Bureau of Labor Statistics, there are nearly 31 million people currently unemployed -- that's including those involuntarily working part-time and those who want a job, but have given up on trying to find one. In the face of the worst economic upheaval since the Great Depression, millions of Americans are hurting.

"The Decline: The Geography of a Recession," as created by labor writer LaToya Egwuekwe, serves as a vivid representation of just how much. Watch the deteriorating transformation of the U.S. economy from January 2007 -- approximately one year before the start of the recession -- to the most recent unemployment data available, updated 7/15/2010.





Scary, isn't it? 

Added: On Thursday, Aug. 15, unemployment figures released the news that the number of first time jobless claims rose to 500,000. That's equivalent to another whole, good-sized city's population now unemployed.

According to wikipedia, 500,000 is larger than any of these US cities:
Kansas City, MO

Fresno, CA

Sacramento, CA

Long Beach, CA

Mesa, AZ

Omaha, NE

Miami, FL

Cleveland, OH

Pharmacies vs Health Foods

Standard American Diet

Look Familiar? This latest evolution of Man looks like Homo Consumericus to me. Body-wise and Health-wise, it is what we are becoming on the Standard American Diet (S.A.D.). Yes, it IS SAD, and I will be writing a number of posts starting in May addressing many of the the fault(s) and what we, as individuals and families, can do about it. Stay Tuned.

Mardi Gras: Send in the Clowns

Photo from sfmission.com's photostream

I just had to post this Mardi Gras picture from the Tucks Satirical Parade... 'nuff said?

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(I have no idea of the origin of this photo ... it came in an email that had been forwarded a zillion times.)

The long road to water...

I wanted to share this photo with you because it speaks volumes to me. There is a visual texture the long ditch imposes across the landscape; a stark incision on the natural flow of of the hillside. Some might see it as yet another rape across our land, regardless of the reason for the ditch. In time, the ditch will be filled in, grass seed sown, and straw strewn over it in an attempt to halt erosion, but the scar will remain.

What thoughts does this image stir in you? I'd really like to know!