flickering pictures

FlowingData seems to have gotten itself up and running again, and contrary to my previous post, it features 27 neat-o infographics that explain the worldwide financial meltdown, not 16. Very much worth a look.

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A neat new U.S.-based news service called the Global Post has started covering events around the world, with an emphasis on regions that traditionally fly under the mainstream radar and a novel insistence that its reporters must live full-time in the countries they cover. It’s too early to say if it’ll live up to […]

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Born on January 8, 1935, Elvis Presley would have been 74 years old today. Other notable events on this day:

1835: For the only time in U.S. history, the national debt is exactly zero dollars. Today’s debt is just over $10.6 trillion, or about $35,000 for every man, woman and child in the country.

1867: […]

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With their country’s economy reeling, Britons in search of inexpensive pastimes are apparently shopping less and shagging more.
The BBC reports:

A YouGov survey of 2,000 adults found sex was the most popular free activity, ahead of window shopping and gossiping.
The Scots were most amorous with 43% choosing sex over other pastimes, compared with 35% in South […]

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CNN reports:

Exxon Mobil, the leading U.S. oil company, said its third-quarter net profit was $14.83 billion, [or] $1,865.69 per second, nearly $400 a second more than the prior mark.

No U.S. company has ever earned more profit in a single quarter.
To put things into perspective, $14.83 billion is enough to wipe out the crippling external debts […]

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According to the U.K., that there is a map of the world’s newest terrorist state.
As stock markets continue to dry-heave at the toilet of the world economy — and as financial-sector CEOs continue to dry-hump the American taxpayer — we’re discovering that British municipalities, police forces and other investors had a lot of money in […]

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Chinese astronauts walked through space this week, the Russian and Venezuelan navies staged ominous joint war games, Myanmar freed 9,000 political prisoners, and a man flew across the English Channel with a jetpack and a parachute. But the only story in the news for the last few days has been the growing worldwide economic […]

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A comment on America’s financial woes, as reported in the latest edition of Harper’s Weekly:

“The private market has screwed itself up,” said Representative Barney Frank (D., Mass.), “and they need the government to come help them unscrew it.”

A close second, also from Harper’s Weekly:

“My first instinct,” said President George W. Bush, “was to let the […]

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Okay, maybe unofficially.
On June 6, the National Post reported that “It’s a sad day when those that can afford to buy a loaf of bread need to cart 600-million Zimbabwean dollars to the store.” Less than two months later, a sad day has turned downright miserable: you could trudge to that same store with […]

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Wow, there’s just really no way to say that concisely, is there?
I always said that when I finally put together my very own blog, I’d never apologize if I didn’t have a chance to post for a couple of days. Then again, I never expected that there would be hundreds of you to apologize […]

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